New Research Project: Pilot Study of Prostate Cancer Gene Discovery

Prostate cancer is the most common solid tumor and the second leading cause of cancer deaths among men in the United States. An estimated 180,400 new cases and 31,900 deaths are expected in the US this year. These numbers highlight what an important public health problem prostate cancer represents.

Little is known about the risk factors or underlying genes that increase a man’s risk for the disease. Recent genetic studies suggest that strong familial predisposition may be responsible for 5% to 10 % of prostate cancer, in particular early onset (age < 65) disease. Studies of high-risk prostate cancer families are now underway to identify the genes that may be responsible for causing prostate cancer to occur more frequently in some families. In addition, it is clear that environmental factors also play a role in causing this disease.

The MACGN is currently participating in a collaborative effort with four additional national Cancer Genetics Network sites (University of California, Irvine; Duke University Medical Center, NC; Georgetown University Lombardi Cancer Center, DC; and University of Pennsylvania, PA) on a new study entitled, “Pilot Study of Prostate Cancer Gene Discovery.” This study will explore inherited susceptibility genes, certain gene alterations, and environmental factors with the goal to move discoveries and observations from the laboratory to the clinic to the population.

This prostate study will recruit approximately 900 high-risk families from the five participating national sites over the next several months. Interested individuals should contact MACGN to join the MACGN registry. Enrollees will be asked to:

complete a questionnaire about family medial history and lifestyle
be contacted once a year to update the information, and
be willing to be notified about studies for which they may be eligible (but not obligated) to join.

Upon enrollment into the MACGN registry, to be eligible for the Prostate Pilot Study, individuals must:

have a personal diagnosis of prostate cancer
have been < 65 years old when prostate cancer was diagnosed
have other relatives with prostate cancer
provide a blood sample

We are joining forces with the Johns Hopkins Hereditary Prostate Cancer Registry to learn more about this disease. The hope for this new study is to discover important information that may lead to additional prostate cancer gene studies and ultimately improve methods of early detection, prevention and care of persons with prostate cancer.

The Prostate Pilot Study anticipates beginning participant enrollment within the next few weeks.