Genomic Classifier Identifies High-Risk Prostate Cancer Patients Benefiting From Hormone Therapy
Researchers at University College London analyzed a tissue-based molecular test called Decipher to determine which men with high-risk prostate cancer benefit most from stronger treatment and which can avoid unnecessary medication and side effects, Fox News reported. The findings were presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology Congress 2026, held October 23–27 in Madrid.
The analysis centered on abiraterone, a hormone therapy that the STAMPEDE clinical trial demonstrated cuts the risk of death in half for men with high-risk, localized prostate cancer. Because prostate cancers vary at the molecular level, adding hormone therapy indiscriminately risks increased side effects and a poorer quality of life for patients who do not require it, according to a University College London news release.
Evaluating Patient Data From Clinical Trials and Real-World Sets
To assess whether the Decipher assay could inform therapeutic choices, investigators reviewed test metrics from upwards of 27,000 individuals within clinical practice records alongside 401 subjects with non-metastatic prostate cancer enrolled in the STAMPEDE abiraterone study. Higher Decipher scores predicted worse outcomes, indicating that the cancer is more likely to spread and that additional treatment may be valuable. Conversely, a low Decipher score suggested that more intensive treatment may be unnecessary.
Sarah Howlett of the UCL Cancer Institute stated that preventing the spread of disease is critical for men with very high-risk prostate cancer. Howlett pointed out that observing the same trends across both a vast real-world population and a randomized trial lends greater weight to the results, while simultaneously stressing that extra confirmation using other data sources remains necessary prior to standardizing the test for medical choices.
Experts Support Using Decipher Test Before Prostate Cancer Decisions
Elai Davicioni, medical director of urology for test maker Veracyte, stated that the growing body of evidence gives physicians a stronger reason to use the Decipher test before making decisions that affect cancer outcomes and patient quality of life. Fox News senior medical analyst Dr. Marc Siegel, who was not involved in the study, noted that prostate cancer is not a one-size-fits-all disease.
Excellent presentation by Sarah Howlett! STAMPEDE biomarker analysis: higher Decipher scores predicted greater abiraterone benefit in preventing distant metastases in very high-risk M0 prostate cancer. A step toward smarter intensification! @myESMO #ESMO26 @oncoalert
Localized prostate cancer may contain mutations that predict how aggressive the disease will be and whether it will respond to targeted therapies, according to Siegel. The American Cancer Society reports that about one in eight American men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime, making it the second-leading cause of cancer death behind lung cancer.
Common Questions About Prostate Cancer Genomic Tests
What does the Decipher test measure in prostate cancer tissue?
The Decipher test analyzes tissue-based molecular markers to measure the aggressiveness of high-risk prostate cancer and predict the likelihood that the disease will spread.
How does abiraterone affect high-risk prostate cancer survival rates?
Data from the STAMPEDE clinical trial showed that adding the hormone therapy abiraterone to standard treatment cut the risk of death in half for men with high-risk, localized prostate cancer.
Are genomic tests used routinely for all prostate cancer patients?
Researchers note that further validation in additional datasets is required before genomic tests like Decipher are used routinely to guide standard clinical treatment decisions.
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