Gene tests for prostate cancer may be possible

Conclusion This study has identified 13 different loss of function mutations in eight genes present in 7.3% of the men with familial cancer studied. Men with one of these mutations had significantly increased odds of advanced prostate cancer characterised by spread to the lymph nodes, to nearby organs (tumour stage T4), or metastatic spread to other organs of the body. These valuable findings warrant further investigation. So far they suggest that in men with a strong family history of prostate cancer, these particular genetic mutations are associated with a higher risk of advanced disease. It is likely to be some time before a test could be developed which is able to tell reliably which men would be more likely to develop life-threatening prostate cancer and so target treatments. The hope is that genetic screening could identify men at risk of prostate cancer in the same way as women can be currently screened for high risk breast cancer genes. Of course, such aspirations need to be proven (or otherwise) in a real-world setting to see if genetic testing saved lives.  Analysis by Bazian. Edited by NHS Choices. Follow Behind the Headlines on Twitter. Join the Healthy Evidence forum. Links To The Headlines Prostate cancer screening step closer: Scientists identify gene defects in at risk men. The Independent, February 21 2014 Prostate cancer gene test nearer for identifying high-risk men. The Guardian, February 21 2014 Gene tests may hold the key to halting deadly prosta...
Source: NHS News Feed - Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Cancer Genetics/stem cells Source Type: news