UCLA Journal of Radiation Oncology FALL 2024 and ANNUAL REPORT - Flipbook - Page 16
UCLA RADIATION ONCOLOGY JOURNAL
VA GRANT TO IMPROVE
PREDICTION OF RADIORECURRENT
PROSTATE CANCER OUTCOMES
Dr. Luca Valle(Link opens in new window), assistant professor of radiation oncology at the David Geffen School of
Medicine at UCLA, was awarded a $2.1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to develop
new methods to better understand the clinical scope and biological factors that lead to prostate cancer coming
back after radiation therapy.
Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers among veterans, with nearly half of those diagnosed
receiving radiation therapy to treat the disease. Radiation therapy is as effective as surgery for curing prostate
cancer, but some individuals may experience a recurrence of the disease, known as radiorecurrent prostate
cancer, which can pose a serious health risk depending on where the cancer returns
“Significant data exists for how to identify, risk-stratify, and manage prostate cancer that comes back after radical
prostatectomy, but there is considerably less data to guide us on how best to address prostate cancer that comes
back after radiotherapy,” said Valle, who is an investigator at the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer
Center(Link opens in new window) and staff physician at the Greater Los Angeles VA Healthcare System. “Given
improvements in our diagnostic imaging capabilities, localized intraprostatic radiorecurrent prostate cancer is a
clinical entity that is being encountered more and more frequently. This project aims to address existing gaps in
knowledge by leveraging precision oncology applications to better predict radiorecurrent outcomes.”
Radiorecurrent prostate cancer requires precise diagnosis and a host of other clinical information to determine
the best course of treatment. Currently, advanced molecular imaging techniques, such as Prostate Specific
Membrane Antigen (PSMA) PET scans, are among the many tools used to pinpoint the anatomic location of the
recurrence, but access to these scans within the veteran population is not uniform.
To overcome this challenge, Valle and his team are developing a clinical prediction model, called a nomogram,
that can predict the likely outcomes of PSMA PET scans based on other clinical data. This tool can help
physicians quickly identify the extent of cancer recurrence after radiotherapy and create personalized treatment
plans, even when advanced imaging is unavailable in a timely manner. This work aims to improve health equity
for populations of men with radiorecurrent prostate cancer in low healthcare resource settings who may not
have immediate access to these scans.
In addition, the researchers will investigate the genetic and biologic factors associated with local cancer
recurrence, particularly when the cancer reappears in the prostate itself. By analyzing tumor samples from
veterans through the extensive VA-MAPP biospecimen repository, Valle hopes to identify molecular signatures
that predict which patients are most at risk for local recurrence. This could lead to more personalized and
effective upfront treatments for those individuals.
UCLA mentors and collaborators on the grant include Dr. Nicholas Nickols, associate professor in residence and
vice chair of VA services for the department of radiation oncology; Dr. Matthew Rettig, professor of urology and
medical director of the prostate cancer program; Dr. Amar Kishan, executive vice chair of radiation oncology;
Dr. Paul Boutros, professor of urology and human genetics; Dr. Isla Garraway, professor and director of research
in urology; and Dr. David Elashoff, professor of medicine, biostatistics and computational medicine. All are
members of the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Contributed by: Denise Heady
Denise Heady is a science communications and media relations
manager at UCLA Health. She covers the clinical cancer program
along with basic and clinical translational research for the UCLA
Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center.
