On a mission to identify genetic mutations related to prostate cancer, researchers at the Prostate Cancer Risk Assessment Program (PRAP), at Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia, have found that doctors may be able to use five genetic markers to assess a man’s risk of developing prostate cancer.

The study analyzed the DNA of 700 men with one first-degree relative (parent, full siblings or offspring) with prostrate cancer or two second-degree relatives (grandparents, half-siblings, grandchildren) with the disease on the same side of the family. Researchers found that African-American men tended to have more of the five genetic risk markers and developed prostate cancer earlier than white men who participated in the study.

“These markers may have significant use in personalizing the early detection of prostate cancer in men at high risk in order to provide tailored recommendations for screening and diagnosis of this disease,” says PRAP’s director Veda N. Giri, MD.
Not sure if a screening is right for you? Learn the facts here.