Thoughts Following April 10 Webinar with Dr. Oliver Sartor

On April 10 the Mayo Clinic hosted a seminar for the Prostate Cancer Support group. As only 22 folks signed on for the on-line briefing, I thought I would provide some of the major points and feedback.
The speaker was Dr. Oliver Sartor, the Director of Radiopharmaceutical Clinical Trials at Mayo. He is an oncologist, and provided a wealth of information about how clinical trials for new drugs work. (Colleen, if you are reading this, I believe most of this seminar was above the heads of us non-medical folks. It would most benefit urologists and oncologists who are not as familiar with clinical trials).
Yes, some folks watching on-line asked if there were charts we could see, and one person also posted data this was hard to follow. A lot of time was spent elaborating on the goals for a new drug: Is it effective, what are side effects, what is right dosage and frequency, could it be toxic, and others. First tests are done on animals, then phase 1 testing is with humans. The trials have many criteria to screen for; they want to have outstanding results in at least 1/3 of results, reasonable in 1/3, and not great in 1/3.
Dr. Sartor described the FDA standard for trials as "How do you know you are getting better"? "Will you live longer"? "Feel better" "Will the cancer progress slower"? and "Will it shrink the tumor"? Dr. Sartor also touched on unknown unknowns; researchers know some of what they believe the drug will do, but over long trials factors come up that were unanticipated.
To make the point on how difficult finding new and better drugs, about 1000 potential drugs were given trials and in 2023 the FDA only approved 14 drugs for cancer. He did mention 6 trials on-going that look good for approval.
My comment: I would have liked a chart that listed recent cancer drugs approved, and which could pertain to prostate cancer. Dr. Sartor did mention people can go to clinicaltrials.gov to look for information, but that it is suited for medical personnel. I have been to that site, and it is very difficult to find what you are looking for.
Dr. Sartor is involved in the Pluvicto trials. I would like to know more about how that will help prostate cancer patients. He also briefly mentioned Fusion therapy. I had to look that up myself, and found this reference: "Fusion genes are mutations that are only present in cancer cells. There are drugs that directly target or inhibit the fusion that is making the cancer grow."
That pretty much summed up what I heard from Dr. Sartor. Let me comment on what I would like to have briefed in the near future.
1. What are the latest cancer drugs approved for prostate cancer, and who do they most benefit? In particular, what drugs benefit men who have had radiation therapy, and now are on hormone drugs?
2. In 2016 the federal government initiated the Cancer Moonshot. Some of that funding has gone towards prostate cancer research. One program created from the Moonshot is the Adult Immunotherapy Network (IOTN). There are trials and some use of immunotherapy right now. My limited knowledge is that this is mostly used if hormone drugs no longer help. Yet, the logic is that finding a way to use our own immune system to target and destroy cancer cells in our body is the best, and possibly only way for that thing we all desire, a real cure for the cancer.
3. I am aware that Quantum computers are being developed, and are expected to be operational in 5 years. Why should we care? Quantum computers will have as much as 1000 times the power than any current super computer. I don't understand much about them, but it occurs to me that Quantum computers will revolutionize medical research, and be capable of calculations that could create drugs specific to one individual that would attack and destroy cancer cells in their body.
4. I would very much like to have a seminar that focuses on what is the latest and greatest right now for prostate cancer, and what is likely to come down the pike in 5 years that will possibly cure our cancer, regardless of what stage we are at. Quite simply, we need a seminar that promises hope. Most of us can hang in there for 5 more years, but we need hope as much as drugs.