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High-risk cancers could be identified sooner after major prostate cancer study
Confirmed
In Short: Scientists have identified eight genetic 'footprints' that explain 85% of prostate cancers, potentially enabling earlier detection and personalized treatment.
In a new study published in the journal Nature, researchers from the Pan Prostate Cancer Group (PPCG) have uncovered genetic 'footprints' that could help identify which prostate cancers are most likely to become aggressive. This breakthrough, which accounts for approximately 85% of prostate cancers, could lead to earlier detection and personalized treatment options.
The study, involving 959 men, evaluated tumor tissue samples and found that four of the 'integrated mutational footprints' were associated with aggressive tumors more prone to spreading outside the prostate. Experts believe these findings could pave the way for superior screening tests and earlier identification of high-risk cancers.
Professor Ros Eeles, from the Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) and The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, said, 'For many years we’ve known that prostate cancer is not a single disease. This research provides important new clues regarding the biological mechanisms driving the illness, which could lead to better screening tests and earlier identification of high-risk cancers.
The next step for the research team is to use these findings to develop and test classification systems for prostate cancer tumors using molecular information. This could help identify aggressive cancers sooner and guide personalized treatment decisions, potentially saving lives.
What's confirmed
- In a new study published in the journal Nature, researchers from the Pan Prostate Cancer Group (PPCG) have uncovered genetic 'footprints' that could help identify which prostate cancers are most likely to become aggressive. This breakthrough, which accounts for approximately 85% of prostate cancers, could lead to earlier detection and personalized treatment options.
- The study, involving 959 men, evaluated tumor tissue samples and found that four of the 'integrated mutational footprints' were associated with aggressive tumors more prone to spreading outside the prostate. Experts believe these findings could pave the way for superior screening tests and earlier identification of high-risk cancers.
- Professor Ros Eeles, from the Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) and The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, said, 'For many years we’ve known that prostate cancer is not a single disease. This research provides important new clues regarding the biological mechanisms driving the illness, which could lead to better screening tests and earlier identification of high-risk cancers.
- The next step for the research team is to use these findings to develop and test classification systems for prostate cancer tumors using molecular information. This could help identify aggressive cancers sooner and guide personalized treatment decisions, potentially saving lives.
What's still developing
- Regularly drinking beverages like tea and coffee at very hot temperatures increases the risk of cancer of the food pipe or gullet, known as oesophageal cancer, UK research suggests.
- Researchers say the findings, external, from a study of nearly a million people, make this the largest to date to establish the link.
- In the study, people who had their drinks "very hot" had around a three times higher risk of the cancer than "warm" tea or coffee drinkers - although experts stress the overall chances of developing this cancer are low.
- The work by Oxford University, which is published in the International Journal of Cancer, defines any drink at 65 degrees Celsuis or above as "very hot" and posing a potential risk.
- Cancer Research UK says it's difficult to put an exact time on how long a hot drink should be left to cool.
- Scientists identified eight distinct genetic ‘footprints’ that explain approximately 85 per cent of prostate cancer cases Scientists identified eight distinct genetic ‘footprints’ that explain approximately 85 per cent of prostate cancer cases Scientists say they have uncovered genetic "footprints" responsible for 85 per cent of prostate cancers, offering vital insights into why the disease turns fatal in some men.
- Published today in Nature, the study identified eight distinct genetic "fingerprints" that together account for around 85 per cent of prostate cancers.