Finding new genetic links to prostate cancer

By | September 17, 2014

Prostate cancer is the most common non-skin cancer in American men. About 1 in 6 men will be diagnosed with the disease in his lifetime. Family history is the strongest risk factor. A man with one close relative, a brother or father with prostate cancer is twice as likely to develop the disease as a man with no family history of prostate cancer.

This study brings the number of genetic variants linked to prostate cancer to 100. Testing for those variants can identify men with a risk of the disease that is almost six times higher than average.

“This study gives us a more complete list of genetic factors that increase a man’s prostate cancer risk. The goal is to now take this information and use it to develop a reliable test that can be used in addition to current screening methods,” said Park.

source : http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/09/140917121223.htm