GROUNDBREAKING RESEARCH Seven new prostate cancer genetic variants found
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Professor Rosalind Eeles
ICR Professor of Oncogenetics and Honorary Consultant in Clinical Oncology and Cancer Genetics at The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust
Bringing cancer genetics research from the bench to the bedside
Meet Professor EelesMore research stories:
An international study of 10,000 men has found seven new genetic sites associated with the development of prostate cancer, the most common cancer in men.
Led by Dr. Ros Eeles, the ICR's Translational Cancer Genetics team worked with centers in the UK and Australia. The study compared DNA of men who had developed prostate cancer with a control group of men without the disease to look for differences in their genetic make-up. The men with prostate cancer had a family history of the disease or had developed prostate cancer at 60 years or less, which is considered a young age. The researchers also investigated whether the same genetic differences identified occurred more frequently in men with prostate cancer who did not have a family history of the disease and who had developed prostate cancer at any age.
Seven regions with genetic differences were found to be important. Some are present in the blood DNA from over half of prostate cancer cases and could increase the risk of the disease by about 60%. Three of the identified sites contain candidate genes for prostate cancer susceptibility. These genes include MSMB, which may help to screen for the condition, and LMTK2, a possible target for new treatment.
Dr. Eeles explains; "In comparison with other cancers such as breast and lung cancer, we understand little about how and why prostate cancer develops. These results are from the largest study into the genetic causes of prostate cancer to date, which has yielded numerous clues."
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