Fred Schumacher on Genetic Risk Factors of Prostate Cancer

Fred Schumacher, PhD, MPH, associate professor, Case Western Reserve University, discusses a study that led to the identification of genetic risk factors of prostate cancer. The research was completed at USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center.

One of the biggest known risk factors of prostate cancer is family history, Schumacher says, suggesting that genetics plays a significant role in developing the disease. Studies over the past 8 to 10 years have identified genetic risk factors such as single nucleotide polymorphisms, he adds.

In an analysis of both pooled and expanded research of 150,000 individuals, researchers examined 80,000 prostate cancer cases and 70,000 control cases. In this study, 60 new loci was found to be associated with overall prostate cancer risk. Some of this loci can also be associated with age of onset and aggressive disease, Schumacher says.