Finding the genetic changes which raise the risk of prostate cancer

Grant information

Why did we fund this project?

• Men are at higher risk of developing prostate cancer if they inherit certain changes in their genes, known as mutations, from their parents. This is why men are at higher risk if their dad or brother had prostate cancer.
• Professor Ros Eeles and team have demonstrated that mutations in a certain subset of genes, which are crucial in helping cells to recover from damage, put men at higher risk of developing prostate cancer. 
• In this project, the team built on this discovery, aiming to pinpoint the specific genes most closely linked to prostate cancer risk.
• Their goal is to create a genetic test capable of identifying men at the highest risk, enabling more vigilant monitoring and personalised care for these men.

What did the team do?

• The team looked for mutations in this subset of genes in around 1000 men with prostate cancer, and a further 1000 men without the disease. This allowed them to identify mutations that are more common in men with prostate cancer. 
• The team also studied whether mutations in these genes were linked to prostate cancer aggressiveness.

What did the team achieve?

• The team identified four genes that are most commonly mutated in prostate cancer, with 1-in-30 men with prostate cancer having a mutation in these genes.
• They also found that one gene, called BRCA2, was linked to more aggressive prostate cancer.
• Armed with these findings, the team created a genetic test to identify men with these mutations. They are now carrying out larger trials to investigate whether this test can help identify men at higher risk.

How will this benefit men?

• If clinical trials are successful, the team's new genetic test could be used to identify men at highest risk of prostate cancer.
• This could inform targeted monitoring of these men, so that if they do get prostate cancer, it is diagnosed and treated early.
• The team have since started a new study called PROFILE, studying a greater number of genes in a larger and more diverse group of men, to gain a more complete picture of which mutations put men at higher risk.