Introduction

In the largest study of its kind, the team found about 11 genes associated with aggressive prostate cancer.

High Risk of Developing Life-Threatening Prostate Cancer

The study found that men who carry certain mutations in at least one of these 11 genes have a high risk of developing life-threatening prostate cancer.

Potential for Innovative Cancer Screening Tools and Targeted Gene Therapy

The discovery, made by scientists at the University of Southern California, could pave the way for more innovative cancer screening tools and targeted gene therapy.

Research Methodology

The research team, led by Dr Borko Darst, an epidemiologist at the University of Southern California, analyzed the genes of more than 17,500 men with prostate cancer from Australia, the US, the UK, Finland, Sweden and other European countries. The team studied about 1,700 genes associated with cancer by analyzing blood samples collected between January 2021 and March 2023.

It found that out of a group of more than 17,000 people, 9,185 men suffered from a life-threatening case of aggressive prostate cancer.

Genes Associated with Severe Cases

Two mutated genes in particular showed a strong association with severe cases: BRCA2, one of the best known genes associated with breast cancer risk, and ATM, which plays a critical role in repairing damaged DNA.

Harmful genetic variations in the BRCA2 gene were found in 2% of aggressive cancers, while they appeared in only 0.7% of non-aggressive cases, nearly tripling the risk of developing a life-threatening type of cancer.

Likewise, ATM mutation defects were found in 1.6% of aggressive cases and 0.7% of non-aggressive cases, further doubling the risk.

Other Genes Associated with Aggressive Prostate Cancer

The harmful NBN gene variation is more common in cases of metastasis, where the cancer has spread to other parts of the body, than in mild cases.

The researchers identified eight other genes whose mutations, although associated with more aggressive prostate cancer, had a slightly weaker association: MSH2, XRCC2, MRE11A, TP53, RAD51D, BARD1, GEN1 and SLX4i.

They found that there are some genes that are included in comprehensive genetic testing as increasing the risk of cancer, but should not be.

“We found evidence that other genes may need to be added,” said Dr. Christopher Hyman, a cancer researcher at the University of Southern California. “The results are not entirely conclusive, but it is clear that more work needs to be done to determine which cancer genes we should focus on testing.”

Importance of Genetic Testing

Genetic testing is a valuable tool in oncology because it gives doctors crucial time to intervene if a problematic mutation is detected.

Publication

The results were published in the journal JAMA Oncology.

Source

Source: Daily Mail