Study could help to find environmental factors which trigger disease
New evidence suggests some men may be genetically more susceptible to prostate cancer than others.
Scientists in the US have found that men with prostate cancer often have a different gene to men who have never developed the disease.
The gene in question - CYP1B1 - controls the body's response to carcinogens and hormones. According to the study, published in the British Journal of Cancer, the findings may provide clues to what environmental factors could trigger the disease and why some men appear more prone to it than others.
"Previous research suggests prostate cancer arises in certain individuals due to a combination of genetic and environmental factors," said Dr Jianfeng Xu, of the Wake University School of Medicine in North Carolina.
"Our study suggests that the genetic make-up of some men leaves them more susceptible to potential carcinogens in the environment or hormones in the body that could trigger the disease."
High rates of prostate cancer are seen in developed countries. It is thought that environmental factors, such as a fatty diet and low dietary intake of selenium, could contribute to the rising figures.
The study analysed the variations in gene CYP1B1 seen in 160 Caucasian men who have a family history of prostate cancer, 250 prostate cancer patients without a family history and 220 who did not have the disease. Scientists found that one cluster of variations in the gene was more common in men with prostate cancer who had no family history of the disease.
Dr Xu said the results were encouraging. "This study suggests men with a particular gene variant have an increased risk of prostate cancer. It is an exciting find because we know the gene interacts with certain cancer-causing chemicals. Studying this more closely will bring us closer to finding out what factors in the environment or within the body may trigger the disease," he said.
Cancer Research UK's chief executive Professor Alex Markham, said this study may help doctors identify people at high risk of prostate cancer: "It is important to find out how genetic and environmental factors combine to cause prostate cancer, as in the future, this will allow us to identify people at high risk and advise them on ways to prevent the disease," he said.
