By KUNA
London : A set of 12 genes that are linked to prostate tumours has been identified, raising the prospect of a revolution in screening for the most common male cancer, it was revealed here Monday.
The discoveries by three research teams, one based in Britain, have doubled the known tally of genes that influence the disease, which is diagnosed in 35, 000 British men each year and kills 10,000, the Times newspaper said.
They could help the development of tests that reveal those who have the highest inherited risk, and lead to new treatments, doctors said.
The findings should enable doctors to offer genetic profiling to every middle-aged man, so that those with a high chance of developing prostate cancer could receive more detailed investigations that could spot tumors when they are still easily treatable.
It is already possible to screen for prostate tumors, but current methods rely on a blood test with a high error rate, which must then be confirmed with invasive biopsies that can cause impotence, infection, and even death on rare occasions.
In Britain, such testing is recommended only to men with a family history of the disease.
The discovery of so many common genetic variants linked to the disease, each of which raises a man’s risk by between 20 and 200 percent, will help scientists to develop a reliable test for gene combinations that are potentially damaging.
This could make prostate cancer screening for every man a practical possibility. Those with a high genetic risk could then be offered regular blood tests, and biopsies if the results suggest a cause for concern.
Ros Eeles, of the Institute of Cancer Research in Sutton, southwest London, who led the British study, said that such screening could start in three to four years.