Prostate cancer remains a significant health concern, particularly among African American men who experience higher incidence of prostate cancer as well as more aggressive forms of the disease. The identification of reliable biomarkers is crucial for early detection, assessing the risk of developing the disease, determining its aggressiveness, and predicting survival rates. However, currently used biomarkers and prognostic tools, such as prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels, may not predict cancer risk or prognosis effectively in all ethnicities. Thus, more clinically relevant genetic biomarkers are needed.
Researchers at the George Washington University and Duke University discovered a set of genetic biomarkers for prostate cancer that occur as various single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in a person’s genome. These SNPs occur in at least one of the following cancer-related genes: TP63, MET, WNT1, ALDH1A1, FN1, COL, SEMA, ACACA, FASN, and/or EGFR. These SNPs help indicate a person’s risk of developing cancer, or if they already have cancer, its aggressiveness and their survival prognosis. These biomarkers can also dictate what course of treatment may be best suited for that person or cancer, which isn’t as feasible with non-genetic biomarkers. This approach offers a promising method to enhance the accuracy of prostate cancer diagnosis and prognosis across ethnicities, ultimately contributing to better management and treatment of the disease.
Figure 1. More SNPs is associated with decreased survival. Kaplan-Meier survival curves of prostate cancer patients based on how presence/absence of different risk alleles (SNPs) can determine survival outcome.
Advantages:
Overcomes limitations of current biomarkers like PSA.
High accuracy prostate cancer diagnosis and prognosis.
Genetic biomarkers relevant across ethnicities.
Applications:
Assessment of prostate cancer risk and overall survival
Assessment of treatment options for prostate cancer
Publication:
Single-nucleotide polymorphisms of stemness genes predicted to regulate RNA splicing, microRNA and oncogenic signaling are associated with prostate cancer survival Jennifer A Freedman, Yanru Wang, Xuechan Li, Hongliang Liu, Patricia G Moorman, Daniel J George, Norman H Lee, Terry Hyslop, Qingyi Wei, Steven R Patierno; Carcinogenesis. 2018 Jul 3;39(7):879-888.