Germline Genetic Testing for Prostate Cancer: Ordering Trends in the Era of Expanded Hereditary Cancer Screening Recommendations - Beyond the Abstract
This study analyzes trends in GGT ordering during a recent critical 6-year period where guidelines were expanded, GGT for prostate cancer saw the spotlight at conferences, and new therapies were introduced.
According to data collected from a single testing laboratory, the number of quarterly GGT tests ordered increased from 21 to over 1,500 during the 6-year span from Q2 2015 to Q4 2020. Analysis by ordering providers demonstrated Urologists significantly increased their role in the primary ordering of these tests. Both the 2018 NCCN guideline expansion and the 2019 Philadelphia Prostate Cancer Genetic Consensus Conference seemed to sustain positive effects in ordering trends. With more Urologists taking on the primary ordering, significant differences were found specifically in their ordering patterns, including ordering GGT for younger patients, and those with a negative family history of cancer.
The findings of this study highlight the growing importance of GGT in the era of precision medicine for prostate cancer and highlight a trend that is likely to increase as more therapies and germline variants are discovered. Urologists should be familiar with the indications for and implications of GGT for their patients with prostate cancer. This study serves to underscore the continuously increasing role urologists have played in the late 2010s surrounding GGT ordering and invites future studies to follow this trend and associated implications into the future.
Written by: Jacob Roberts, MD, & Aditya Bagrodia, MD, Department of Urology, UC San Diego Health, San Diego, CA
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