Genetic risk factors may tailor prostate cancer screening approaches

A research team of the Prostate Cancer Risk Assessment Program (PRAP) at Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, concluded recently that men with a family history of prostate cancer and African-American men are particularly susceptible to the disease, with a twofold to sevenfold increased risk. Assessing risk in these populations has been difficult.

Researchers are interested in looking at how genetic risk markers can be used for assessing the risk for prostate cancer in high-risk men. These are men who have not yet developed prostate cancer, such as African-American men and men with family members with the disease.  researchers are also intyerested if these markers can be used as an indicator of upcoming prostate cancer.