September 16, 2014

John Hopton for redOrbit.com Your Universe Online

A study of more than 87,000 individuals of European, African, Japanese and Latino ancestry has revealed 23 new genetic susceptibility locations indicating risk of prostate cancer, contributing to greater knowledge and hope for future prevention of the disease.

The study, co-led by Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California (USC), and scientists and researchers in the United Kingdom, is the largest of its kind and the first to combine multiple studies across different ethnic populations. It adds to previous research on prostate cancer which is, according to the American Cancer Society, the second most common cancer among American men behind skin cancer. It is estimated that in 2014 almost 30,000 men will die of prostate cancer and more than 233,000 new cases will be diagnosed.

The goal of this research is to identify regions of the genome that contribute susceptibility to prostate cancer that could be used for understanding a mans future risk of developing this disease, said principal investigator Christopher Haiman, Sc.D., professor of preventive medicine at the Keck School of Medicine.

The 23 new common genetic variants are added to those previously identified to bring the total to 100, which in combination can increase a mans risk of prostate cancer six-fold. Such a risk applies to one percent of men who carry a certain combination of the genes, while ten percent of men face a three-fold risk through carrying a lower combination. The research may lead to targeted genetic testing of men to identify those at higher risk in order to monitor them more closely, and further research will establish the feasibility of routine genetic screening in the general population.

Ros Eeles, Professor of Oncogenetics at The Institute of Cancer Research, London, explained that, Our study tells us more about the effect of the genetic hand that men are dealt on their risk of prostate cancer, adding that, We will shortly be conducting a clinical trial to find out whether testing for genetic variants in men can successfully pick up the disease early, and help direct targeted interventions for patients.

The people involved in the combined genetic population studies were made up of 43,303 men with prostate cancer and 43,737 controls from European, African, Japanese or Latino heritage. Their genetic profiles were mapped in order to identify variants that were more common among the prostate cancer patients.

From this combined population, 16 new genetic markers linked to prostate cancer risk in European men were identified, with one of them being associated with increased risk of early-onset disease. Seven markers were identified in men of mixed heritage. A new clinical trial called BARCODE aims to genetically screen 5,000 men for prostate cancer and will investigate if these genetic markers can improve on other tests for the disease.

Professor Malcolm Mason, prostate cancer expert for Cancer Research UK, said that, This important research continues a quest to unravel the complex picture of the genetic factors that increase a mans risk of prostate cancer. Building on previous research this study gives a more complete list of these factors, bringing us closer to knowing who may need screening for prostate cancer and which men may benefit from early treatment. More work needs to be done, but identifying these genetic factors will allow us to better understand the disease and maybe even develop new treatments.

Continued here:

Genetic Study Contributes To Greater Understanding Of Prostate Cancer