GENETIC-FACTORS IN PROSTATE-CANCER

The incidence of clinical prostate cancer varies across countries and ethnic groups. Genetic and epigenetic factors have been suggested as p ossible explanations to these variations, although no mesological fact ors with clearly significant effects have been identified. About 20% o f patients with prostate cancer have a family history for this disease . Several studies have reported links between prostate cancer and brea st cancer, suggesting that the same loci may predispose to both diseas es. Identification of one or more inherited genes associated with an i ncreased risk of prostate cancer in some families may be useful for id entifying high-risk individuals. The value of this approach has been d emonstrated in other familial cancers, such as colon and breast cancer . Current goals of research in this field are to localize the gene(s) that predispose to familial prostate cancer and to identify the molecu lar alterations related to tumor progression in sporadic and familial prostate cancer.