Scientists in Major Prostate Cancer Gene Discovery
20 September 2009 - New research led by scientists at the ICR has found nine new sections of the human genome which contain variants that can increase a man’s risk of developing prostate cancer by up to three-fold.
In the first of two papers published in Nature Genetics, ICR scientist Dr Ros Eeles and colleagues compared the DNA of 19,879 men with prostate cancer and 18,761 healthy controls. They found seven regions contained SNPs – pieces of DNA that vary between individuals – that were more common among prostate cancer patients.
Some of these regions, which were found on chromosomes 2, 4, 8, 11 and 22, already appear to have clinical importance. Gene NKX3.1 could potentially be useful as a new target for treating prostate cancer as it helps control how cells die. When damaged, it can be a key element in developing cancer. Drugs called HDAC1 inhibitors, which play a similar role to this gene, are currently in clinical trials and this research could help doctors target this treatment to men with variations in the NKX3.1 gene. Another gene, ITGA6, could also be a potential target for new drugs. It plays an important role in cell growth, movement and survival and when overactive it is associated with some prostate cancers.
This research takes the total number of regions of the human genome associated with an increased prostate cancer risk to over 25.
In a second study, the scientists examined a region on chromosome 8 previously identified as having a link to prostate cancer risk. Here they found two new SNPs that each, independently, affect the risk of developing prostate cancer, bringing the total number known in this region to eight.
