Private MD News

Mathematical formula could help doctors determine best prostate cancer treatment

Category: Prostate

Following a positive PSA testing indicating the presence of prostate cancer, determining the most appropriate course of treatment can be difficult. The tumors are generally slow growing, so many individuals can get away with just monitoring their condition, saving them from side effects associated with treatment. However, this can also put them at risk for metastasis.

In order to help doctors make this decision, a group of researchers from Ohio State University has developed a mathematical model that they believe will be capable of accurately predicting how a man's prostate tumors will grow and spread.

The equation relies on data regarding a tumor's biology. When a doctor inputs this information, the formula predicts the course of the cancer and helps the physician determine the most appropriate treatment.

"We envision that this model would be useful for clinicians who could keep feeding the equations with data about how a patient is responding to therapy, which would offer clues about how his cancer cells are mutating. Once you have an idea about that for the short or medium term, the model could predict the optimal therapy for that patient," said lead researcher Harsh Jain.