|
Genes may play role in risk assessment for prostate cancer among Hispanics and caucasians
May 15, 2008PHILADELPHIA - Genetic differences may explain the greater risk for prostate cancer among Caucasian men compared with Hispanic men, which could help clinicians predict who is more likely to develop the disease, according to a paper published in the May 15, 2008, issue of Clinical Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.
Currently, the most common method for assessing risk for prostate cancer is the prostate specific antigen test, but this method can identify tumors that may not be a threat to the health of a man and misses other tumors.
"Men typically have this test after they turn 50 years old, and it can spot a tumor that may not cause a problem in a man's lifetime if left untreated. It could be more likely that a man will die from heart disease or some other ailment before his prostate cancer would kill him. At this point, it is not possible to accurately tell which tumors will be the more aggressive ones with our current screening tests. This mean that we may be screening and treating some men unnecessarily," said Kathleen Torkko, Ph.D., an instructor in the Department of Pathology at the University of Colorado Denver. "The goal of research like this is to better classify a disease so we can move toward better management and treatment."
Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed non-skin cancer and one of the 10 leading causes of death among American men. Compared with white men, Hispanic men have higher rates of cancer overall, but the rate of prostate cancer among Hispanic men, falling just above Asian Americans, is one of the lowest.
"This may be due to the fact that we simply are not looking enough because Hispanic men may not have access to screening or could be reluctant to undergo some of the screening procedures that are becoming routine among Caucasian men," said Torkko.
Torkko and colleagues observed 932 white men and 414 Hispanic men from south Texas. They analyzed blood samples to establish the relationship between the presence of genetic polymorphisms and the risk for prostate cancer. Specifically, they observed polymorphisms from the nuclear Vitamin D receptor (CDX2 and FokI), which modulates the actions of Vitamin D, and from 5á-reductase type II (V89L & A49T), which converts testosterone to dihydrotestosterone, a more potent form of the male hormone.
Among non-Hispanic white men with V89L, FokI was associated with a more than 50 percent increased risk of prostate cancer. This effect was not seen in Hispanic men. Among Hispanic white men, CDX2 and V89L in combination were linked with a more than three-fold increase in prostate cancer. However, this interaction was not seen in Caucasian men.
Torkko said these results help add a piece to the genetic puzzle of risk and racial differences, but will need to be confirmed by other studies, in larger populations, before they are ready for use in the clinic.
"Prostate cancer is not likely caused by a few genes, but by multiple genes from different pathways. This study illustrates the importance of examining multiple genes to understand genetic risks for prostate cancer and differences seen by ethnicity," Torkko said. "Going forward, we need not only a better understanding of genetics but a better understanding of race and ethnicity. Studying disease by race is a complex issue, and the public needs to understand that we are trying to raise biological, rather than social, questions."
American Association for Cancer Research
Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed non-skin cancer and one of the 10 leading causes of death among American men. Compared with white men, Hispanic men have higher rates of cancer overall, but the rate of prostate cancer among Hispanic men, falling just above Asian Americans, is one of the lowest.
"This may be due to the fact that we simply are not looking enough because Hispanic men may not have access to screening or could be reluctant to undergo some of the screening procedures that are becoming routine among Caucasian men," said Torkko.
Torkko and colleagues observed 932 white men and 414 Hispanic men from south Texas. They analyzed blood samples to establish the relationship between the presence of genetic polymorphisms and the risk for prostate cancer. Specifically, they observed polymorphisms from the nuclear Vitamin D receptor (CDX2 and FokI), which modulates the actions of Vitamin D, and from 5á-reductase type II (V89L & A49T), which converts testosterone to dihydrotestosterone, a more potent form of the male hormone.
Among non-Hispanic white men with V89L, FokI was associated with a more than 50 percent increased risk of prostate cancer. This effect was not seen in Hispanic men. Among Hispanic white men, CDX2 and V89L in combination were linked with a more than three-fold increase in prostate cancer. However, this interaction was not seen in Caucasian men.
Torkko said these results help add a piece to the genetic puzzle of risk and racial differences, but will need to be confirmed by other studies, in larger populations, before they are ready for use in the clinic.
"Prostate cancer is not likely caused by a few genes, but by multiple genes from different pathways. This study illustrates the importance of examining multiple genes to understand genetic risks for prostate cancer and differences seen by ethnicity," Torkko said. "Going forward, we need not only a better understanding of genetics but a better understanding of race and ethnicity. Studying disease by race is a complex issue, and the public needs to understand that we are trying to raise biological, rather than social, questions."
American Association for Cancer Research
Prostate Cancer News and Current Prostate Cancer Events RSSElevated biomarkers predict risk for prostate cancer recurrence
A simple blood test screening for a panel of biomarkers can accurately predict whether a patient who has had prostate cancer surgery will have a recurrence or spread of the disease.
Researchers identify promising cancer drug target in prostate tumors
Scientists at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute report they have blocked the development of prostate tumors in cancer-prone mice by knocking out a molecular unit they describe as a "powerhouse" that drives runaway cell growth.
Certain anticancer agents could be harmful to patients with heart disease
A set of promising new anticancer agents could have unforeseen risks in individuals with heart disease, suggests research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.
Risk of death after cancer diagnosis; shift in stage of breast cancer diagnosis
Cancer patients with low socioeconomic status (SES) have more advanced cancers at diagnosis, receive less aggressive treatment, and have a higher risk of dying in the five years following cancer diagnosis, according to a new study.
UT Southwestern urologists identify seven biomarkers that may help pinpoint prostate cancer recurrence
A simple blood test may help doctors better predict whether prostate cancer will recur or spread in patients who have undergone surgery for the disease, UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have found.
Radiation therapy prolongs life in men with recurrent prostate cancer
Men whose tumors recur after prostate cancer surgery are three times more likely to survive their disease long term if they undergo radiotherapy within two years of the recurrence.
OHSU Cancer Institute finds that drug stimulated immune system in prostate cancer
In a multi-site study, Oregon Health & Science University Cancer Institute researchers have found that a drug called Ipilimumab, also known as MDX-010, works to stimulate the body's own immune system to fight prostate cancer. The drug was found to be effective in study participants with a serious type of prostate cancer - one where the tumor has spread and was resistant to hormonal treatment and, in some cases, also to chemotherapy.
OHSU Cancer Institute researchers find novel chemo drug helps treat prostate cancer
Men with a certain type of prostate cancer have been shown to respond to a new chemotherapy drug, Sagopilone, plus prednisone in an international trial led by Oregon Health & Science University Cancer Institute researchers.
How advanced prostate cancer becomes resistant to androgen-deprivation therapy
For the past 70 years the treatment of choice for advanced, metastatic prostate cancer has been androgen-deprivation therapy.
Certain form of tomatoes could be key to prostate cancer prevention
New cancer research from the University of Missouri suggests that eating a certain form of tomato product could be the key to unlocking the prostate cancer-fighting potential of the tomato.
More Prostate Cancer News Articles
 | Dr. Patrick Walsh's Guide to Surviving Prostate Cancer, Second Edition by Patrick C. Walsh, Janet Farrar Worthington |
 | The Vitamin D Cure by James Dowd, Diane Stafford |
 | Prostate Health in 90 Days by Larry Clapp |
 | You Can Beat Prostate Cancer by Robert J. Marckini |
 | A Primer on Prostate Cancer: The Empowered Patient's Guide by Stephen Strum, Donna L. Pogliano |
 | The Natural Prostate Cure by Roger Mason |
 | Prostate And Cancer: A Family Guide To Diagnosis, Treatment And Survival (3rd Edition) by Sheldon Marks |
 | Dr. Patrick Walsh's Guide to Surviving Prostate Cancer by Patrick C. Walsh, Janet Farrar Worthington |
 | Biopsy Interpretation of the Prostate (Biopsy Interpretation Series) by Jonathan I Epstein, George J Netto |
 | Eat to Beat Prostate Cancer Cookbook by David Ricketts |
| © 2008 BrightSurf.com |