Alicia K. Morgans, MD, Director of Adult Survivorship at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, presented at the third session of PHEN’s Prostate Cancer Disparity Summit called Where Are Clinical Trials Leading Us? Clinical trials are bringing us potential breakthrough treatments, but patients can only benefit by taking part in these trials, explained Dr. Morgans.

She reviewed the disparities apparent in castration-resistant prostate cancer clinical trials with only 3.3% of Black patients participating on average. By increasing participation among diverse populations, researchers will better understand the potential side effects and effectiveness of these drugs. Dr. Morgans also went over genetic testing and real-world studies comparing hormonal therapies in advanced prostate cancer among diverse populations.

“Doing genetic testing and doing it broadly in all people is really importance because, if we only understand the genetics of once race, then certainly we cannot make those extrapolations in other self-identified races,” stated Dr. Morgans during the presentation. “Undergoing genetic testing can help us in clinics understand options for treatments, but also can allow participation in treatment trials, [and] if you need to have certain mutations to get in as well as real-world studies.”

In addition, Dr. Morgans went over clinical trial drugs that attack PSMA, which is a protein found on the surface of prostate cancer cells, as well as medications like mevrometostat and opevesostat meant to delay prostate cancer growth. She “sees that there is a whole arena” of prostate cancer treatments on the horizon, and patients will need to engage in studies to advance these therapies.