The UK Genetic Prostate Cancer Study (UKGPCS) was first established in 1993 and is the largest prostate cancer study of its kind in the UK, involving nearly 200 hospitals. We are based at The Institute of Cancer Research in Sutton, Surrey, and collaborate with The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust.
Our aim is to find genetic changes which are associated with prostate cancer risk.
If we can find alterations in genes that increase the chances of getting prostate cancer, it may be possible in the future to use this knowledge:
- To screen other family members to see if they are also at a higher risk of developing prostate cancer.
- To develop new prostate cancer treatments for the future.
Contact us
Causes of prostate cancer?
Although prostate cancer is the commonest cancer in men in the UK, with 1 in 8 men developing prostate cancer in their lifetime, its causes remain very poorly understood with few established risk factors.
The fact that prostate cancer incidence tends to be much higher in Western countries (for example the USA and UK), together with migrant studies, indicates that lifestyle and/or environmental factors such as diet could be important determinants of prostate cancer risk. However, so far little is known about which lifestyle factors might contribute to prostate cancer, and results between current studies are conflicting.
Genetic causes of prostate cancer?
The UKGPCS was set up to find genetic alterations which occur in patients who have prostate cancer. A man’s risk of developing prostate cancer increases if he has a first-degree relative (father or brother) who was diagnosed with prostate cancer at a young age.
This is why we were looking for men who are affected at a young age or who have had a family history of prostate cancer, since it is more probable that these prostate cancers are due to an inherited genetic cause rather than an environmental cause.
We also asked men who came to the Royal Marsden Hospital to be treated for prostate cancer if they would like to take part in the study so that we can also look to see if we could find genetic alterations in older men, and those who do not have a family history of prostate cancer.
When did the study start and when will it end?
The study has been running since 1993 when the first patients were recruited. The study closed for recruitment on 27th November 2023, but we have ethical approval to continue to collect treatment updates until the end of 2027.
Contact details
By post:
UK Genetic Prostate Cancer Study
Institute of Cancer Research & Royal Marsden NHS Foundation
Trust Room D1N6
Sir Richard Doll Building, 15, Cotswold Road
Sutton
Surrey SM2 5NG
By telephone:
020 8722 4395
By email:
[email protected]
(Disclaimer: We are happy to be contacted by email, but please be aware that email is not considered a secure medium for confidential information).
By transport:
Directions to The Institute of Cancer Research's Sutton site
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