An international study has identified 11 new gene alterations connected to more aggressive prostate cancer using a simple blood test.
The discovery could improve treatments for prostate cancer by better personalising treatment options for patients and spotting those most at risk of aggressive disease and disease progression.
The study was funded by the National Institute of Health (NIH) and led by the Institute of Cancer Research (ICR), London, the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California (USC) and USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Centre.
Combining information from 18 studies conducted in the US, Europe and Australia, the researchers analysed blood samples from 17,500 patients with prostate cancer – 9,185 with aggressive disease and 8,361 without – and compared the frequency of mutations among both groups.
After sequencing protein-coding genes within DNA among almost a third of the patients to search for genes associated with cancer, they identified around 1,749 genes that were linked.
Additionally, they found genes that were previously thought to be linked to the risk of aggressive disease but did not show any association and could be removed from current gene panel tests.
The subset is comprised of almost 200 genes involved with DNA repair. When this process is disrupted, it allows cancerous cells to arise and take hold.
The researchers have suggested that genetic testing should be extended to men who harbour ‘at-risk’ genes with non-aggressive disease, with more frequent testing and scans, as they could still be at risk of their cancer becoming more advanced.
“This study is an important step towards helping us identify individuals who have a high risk of developing aggressive prostate cancer based on their DNA and tailor their screening and treatment options accordingly,” said Dr Zsofia Kote-Jarai, senior staff scientist in the oncogenetics team at the ICR.
“This study helps to explain the genetic factors behind why some patients see their prostate cancer remain stable over many years, while others may experience more aggressive disease that requires intensive treatment or disease progression, said Ros Eeles, ICR professor of oncogenetics and honorary consultant in cancer genetics and clinical oncology at the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust.