As we recognize Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, Robert Matera, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine (Medical Oncology and Hematology), is encouraged by the new treatments that are available to patients.
As we honor prostate cancer awareness month, what do you want to share with your patients and families?
More than anything I would like to convey a sense of hope. The treatment of prostate cancer is rapidly involving with a steady stream of not only new drugs but new drug paradigms which are proving to be effective. While our treatment landscape is currently excellent, I am confident it will get even better in the years to come.
How do you collaborate with your colleagues at Smilow Cancer Hospital to care for your patients?
The care of patients with prostate cancer is extremely multidisciplinary and requires the input of several different physicians/specialties. These often includes medical oncologist, urologist, radiation oncologist, radiologist, pathologist, etc. Smilow is extremely skilled at seamlessly integrating these many specialties. One example of this are frequent tumor board meetings – a gathering of physicians of the various specialties in single meeting to simultaneously review a single patient. These meetings are invaluable in terms of allowing us to quickly create complex care plans with the input of sub-specialty experts.
What advances have made the biggest impact in the treatment of men with prostate cancer over the last five years?
I think there have been multiple practice changing advancements in the last five years. Notably, we have found more effective and better tolerated agents to lower testosterone levels, which are ultimately responsible for the growth of prostate cancer cells. Additionally, we saw the approval of new radio ligand therapies – molecules that are able to selectively deliver radiation specifically to cancer cells, representing a new and exciting field of drug development.
What is the outlook for new treatments for your patients in the next five years?
I see patients both in New Haven and out in the community, specifically in Waterbury. In the past, only patients with the means and ability to travel to major academic centers would have the benefit of clinical trials/ cutting edge therapies. Smilow Cancer Hospital has made extending clinical trial availability into the community a priority, an effort I am proud to be a part of. In the next five years, I expect that not only we’ll develop new treatments for prostate cancer, but that these treatments be readily available to all aspects of our Smilow community.