Prostate Cancer :: Data on Genetic Susceptibility for Prostate Cancer

The National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health, has released new data from the Cancer Genetic Markers of Susceptibility (CGEMS) study on prostate cancer. This information could help identify genetic factors that influence the disease and will be integral to the discovery and development of new, targeted therapies. This is also the first public release of a whole genome association study of cancer – such studies examine the entire genome, with no assumptions about which genetic alterations cause cancer.

Prostate Cancer :: Prostate Cancer Among African American Men

Bethesda, Md. ? Researchers from 12 institutions, including the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), today announced the results of the first genome-wide linkage study of prostate cancer in African Americans. Using genetic markers, researchers identified several regions of the human genome that likely contain genes that, when altered, increase the risk of developing prostate cancer.

Prostate Cancer :: Obesity independently impacts prostate cancer screening

When interpreting prostate cancer screening test results, physicians should consider the impact of a patient’s body mass index, regardless of race, according to a new study. Published in the November 15, 2006 issue of CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the study found that obese African-American and Caucasian men had lower levels of prostate surface antigen (PSA) and free PSA (fPSA) than men with normal body mass index (BMI), suggesting that an obese man with a slightly elevated PSA may be at higher risk for prostate cancer than a man with normal BMI.