Black men are at an increased risk of developing prostate cancer and die at two-times higher rate than White men; however, most of the genetic studies on prostate cancer focus on White men of European ancestry.
A previous study comparing men with and without prostate cancer identified over 86 new genetic changes associated with prostate cancer. Individually, genetic changes impact prostate cancer development, but collectively may explain the heterogeneity that exists between races.
This study improves our understanding of the risk difference between racial and ethnic groups. Black men were found to have a higher genetic risk than White, which further supports the need for an improved understanding of the impact of genetics on prostate cancer in African American men. Furthermore, these researchers discovered that the reported genetic changes were found associated with early-onset disease, which supports NCCN guidelines supporting the screening of African American men at age 40.
These findings are significant because they stress the importance of screening and treatment stratification for high-risk men. In partnership with Myriad Genetics, PHEN is launching 30 Genetic Answers in 30 days to begin addressing this disparity in genetic testing of Black prostate cancer patients. In addition, clinical trials, which incorporate genetic testing are provide below.
Amplitude is a study looking at the effectiveness and safety of an investigational combination of medications compared with a standard prostate cancer therapy.
Prevalence is a study looking determine the frequency of DNA-repair defects in men with metastatic prostate cancer.
