HPC2 variants and screen-detected prostate cancer

Two studies have reported significant associations between susceptibility t o prostate cancer and two common missense variants of the HPC2/ELAC2 gene, with estimated relative risks in the range of two- to threefold. We investi gated whether these polymorphisms could be informative in the prediction of the presence of prostate cancer in men undergoing prostatic biopsy for the evaluation of an elevated serum-PSA level (greater than or equal to4.0 ng/ ml). We genotyped 944 men who underwent a prostate biopsy at our institutio n, as well as a control population of 922 healthy, unselected women from th e same population. The prevalence of the HPC2 Ala541Thr allele was similar in men with prostate cancer (6.3%), men with other prostatic conditions (6. 8%), and healthy women (6.3%) (P=.83). We conclude that HPC2 genotyping is unlikely to be a useful adjunct to PSA in the prediction of the presence of biopsy-detected prostate cancer in asymptomatic men.