Large Genetic Study Identifies New Prostate Cancer Loci

Data obtained during a large genetic screening study have added 23 new genetic variants to the known loci linked to development of prostate cancer.

Collaborators from a number of international research institutes conducted a meta-analysis of more than 10 million single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 43,303 prostate cancer cases and 43,737 controls from populations of European, African, Japanese, and Latino ancestry.

Results revealed 23 previously unknown loci associated with prostate cancer of which 15 variants were identified among men of European ancestry, seven were identified in multiancestry analyses, and one was associated with early-onset prostate cancer. These 23 variants, in combination with known prostate cancer risk variants, explain 33% of the familial risk for this disease in European-ancestry populations.

These findings indicate that for European men assessed for the 100 common variants, the 10% at highest risk are 2.9 times more likely than the average person to develop prostate cancer, while the top 1% of men is 5.7 times more likely to develop the disease.

Contributing author Dr. Rosalind Eeles, professor of oncogenetics at the Institute of Cancer Research (London, United Kingdom), said, "Our study tells us more about the effect of the genetic hand that men are dealt on their risk of prostate cancer. We know that there are a few major genes that are rare and significantly affect prostate cancer risk, but what we are now learning is that there are many other common genetic variants that individually have only a small effect on risk, but collectively can be very important. To use the playing cards analogy again, sometimes multiple low cards can combine to form a high risk score. We can now explain a third of the inherited risk of prostate cancer, and 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."

Related Links:
The Institute of Cancer Research