12.10.11
Faulty gene helps identify prostate cancer
A faulty BRCA2 gene could help to identify men with prostate cancer under 65, suggests new research funded by Cancer Research UK. They found that one in 100 men with prostate cancer under 65 has this faulty gene.
The study, led by the Institute of Cancer Research, analysed the entire genetic code of the BRCA2 gene in blood samples of almost 2,000 men with prostate cancer. They found that while age is the biggest risk factor, having the faulty gene is linked to an eight-fold increased risk of developing prostate cancer by the age of 65.
Patients with BRCA2 could then be prioritised for clinical trials of new targeted therapies like PARP inhibitors. These inhibitors block the protein PARP which repairs damaged DNA in cancer cells, and so tumours either stop growing or shrink.
Study author Professor Ros Eeles, from the Institute of Cancer Research, said: “Our study shows that men diagnosed with prostate cancer at a young age have a higher chance of carrying a faulty BRCA2 gene.
“With the arrival of PARP inhibiting drugs to target tumours with BRCA mutations, there may be benefits from routinely testing prostate cancer patients diagnosed before 65 for this gene fault.
“Prostate cancer patients with this gene fault also tend to have a poorer prognosis so we are also studying whether BRCA2 mutations are more common among patients with more aggressive disease.
“Ultimately, we hope to develop a full clinical picture of BRCA2-linked cancers, which will help us to work out the best way to treat these patients.”
Dr Lesley Walker, director of cancer information at Cancer Research UK, said: “Once gene testing becomes faster and cheaper, this study suggests that a new range of treatments could potentially open up for some prostate cancer patients.”
The research was published in the British Journal of Cancer today
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