November 7, 2014 – At Risk

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Anchor lead: What does a huge analysis of inherited DNA variation tell us about prostate cancer? Elizabeth Tracey reports

Screening very large numbers of people for genetic variations is one benefit of a multitude of new research techniques employed recently at Johns Hopkins to assess DNA from men with prostate cancer compared to men without the disease.  William Nelson, director of the Kimmel Cancer Center, describes the study.

Nelson: They were examining inherited gene sequences from more than 43,000 men with prostate cancer more than 43,000 men who did not have prostate cancer, to see if there were sequences of DNA that were inherited differently.  What they found was 23 inherited sequences that were inherited differently. If a man inherited any one of these sequences his risk to develop prostate cancer was not really that much increased but if he had inherited several  or many then his risk became reasonably substantial.   :30

Nelson says this study points to the increasing role of genetic analysis with an eye toward predicting someone’s disease risk,  and may one day be used to help men decide whether to be screened for prostate cancer.  At Johns Hopkins, I’m Elizabeth Tracey.