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Dr. William Catalona talks about genetic tests and Prostate Cancer

Genetic variants are a significant contributor to the risk of developing prostate cancer; in fact, of all cancer types, prostate cancer is most closely linked to genetic risk factors.

Realizing one’s overall risk, including genetic risk, is the first step in making an informed decision about when to seek medical advice.

Early diagnosis is the key to beating prostate cancer.

Empower your preventive actions with the deCODEme genetic risk assessment for prostate cancer

Chuck and Dr. Bale are convinced that the deCODEme genetic test saved Chuck’s life. Click on the picture to watch Chuck’s story

The prostate is part of the male reproductive system

The male prostate is normally a small gland, about the size of a walnut, located under the urine bladder. The prostate is part of the male reproductive system it makes part of the seminal fluid needed to carry sperm out of the man’s body. The urethra, the narrow tube that runs the length of the penis and carries both urine and semen out of the body, runs directly through the prostate. This is why the first signs of prostate enlargement are often related to urinary problems.

Prostate cancer is typically a slow growing cancer

Prostate growths can be benign (not cancer) or malignant (cancer). Prostate cancer occurs when cells within the prostate start to multiply uncontrollably. In most cases, prostate cancer is a relatively slow-growing cancer, which means that it takes a number of years to become detectable. A small percentage of prostate cancers however, grow more rapidly. Unfortunately, it is difficult to predict which prostate cancers will grow slowly and which will grow more aggressively.

If detected early, prostate cancer is highly curable

In early stages of prostate cancer, while the tumors are enclosed within the prostate, the disease is often curable with cure rates of 90% or more. Unfortunately, at this highly curable stage, prostate cancer produces few or no symptoms and can be difficult to detect. In general, the earlier the prostate cancer is caught, the more likely it is that treatment will be successful.

Prostate cancer is the most common non-skin cancer among men

During their lifetimes, one in six men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer (lifetime risk of 16%), and 1 in 33 men will die of the disease (3% lifetime risk). Over 200,000 new cases of prostate cancer will be diagnosed, and prostate cancer will lead to approximately 27,000 deaths in the US this year. A man is over 30% more likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer in his lifetime than a woman is to be diagnosed with breast cancer in hers.

Genetics contribute significantly to prostate cancer risk

Genetic variants are a significant contributor to the risk of developing prostate cancer; in fact, of all cancer types, prostate cancer is most closely linked to genetic risk factors. There are twenty-five genetic variants that are known to increase the risk of developing prostate cancer: seven on chromosome 8 (five of those in the 8q24 region), two on each of the following chromosomes: 2, 3, 7, 11, 17 and 19 and one on each of the following chromosomes: 4, 5, 6, 10, 22 and X.

deCODEme calculates your genetic risk for prostate cancer

The deCODEme Genetic Scan identifies all the twenty-five variants listed above and uses them to provide customers of European descent with a personalized interpretation of their genetic risk for developing prostate cancer. For African-Americans, the deCODEme Genetic Scan currently provides a personalized genetic risk interpretation using two variants on chromosome 8 for which scientific risk data are available.

At present, the necessary scientific information to interpret the genetic risk for individuals of other ethnicities is not available. This information will be added as soon as it becomes available and we are assured of its quality.

This content was last reviewed on February 08, 2010.

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