-- Mary Elizabeth Dallas
FRIDAY, Oct. 25 (HealthDay News) -- Men with certain inherited
variations in their Y chromosome may have a higher risk of prostate
cancer, according to a large new study.
Researchers from the University of Utah School of Medicine said
the identification of these genetic mutations could help scientists
develop tests to determine men's risk for developing the disease
and also improve prostate cancer treatments.
In conducting the study, the researchers used the Utah
Population Database, which dates back to the 1800s and identifies
more than 6.5 million people, spanning 15 generations. The study
was narrowed down to 1.25 million men who had at least two parents,
four grandparents and six or eight great-grandparents also in the
All of the men who did not have a father in the database were
labeled as "founders" and assigned a specific Y chromosome
identification (YID). Founders' sons, grandsons and great-grandsons
also were assigned the same YID. Of these groups, nearly 260,000
had at least two men sharing the same Y chromosome.
The men's genealogical and medical records also were linked to
the Utah Cancer Registry, enabling the researchers to determine
which of the men developed prostate cancer.
The researchers said that since most of the Y chromosome does
not recombine during cell division, it is passed almost entirely
unchanged from father to son.
"As a result, each male resident of Utah shares the Y chromosome of his father and his father's father and so on," study leader Lisa Cannon-Albright said in a news release from the American Society of Human Genetics.
"This provided the ability to estimate the risk for prostate cancer in independent Y chromosomes represented in Utah," said Cannon-Albright, chief of the genetic epidemiology division at the University of Utah School of Medicine.
Once the researchers estimated the number of prostate cancer
cases expected to occur in each YID group, they compared this
estimate to the actual number of prostate cancers.
Focusing on 1,000 YID groups that included between about 200 and
2,300 men, the study revealed the prostate cancer incidence was
significantly higher than expected in 73 specific Y chromosome
The researchers said that in one YID group of nearly 9,800 men,
they predicted that about 45 prostate cancer cases would have
occurred. When they compared their estimate to the state's cancer
registry, they found that 65 men in the group had actually been
diagnosed with prostate cancer.
A separate group of about 500 men revealed that 26 had prostate
cancer. The researchers had estimated, however, that about 10 cases
would develop among this group.
Among the men who did not share the Y chromosome of the founder,
39 developed prostate cancer. This rate was not statistically
different from the 36 cases of the disease predicted by the
researchers, who concluded that there is a Y chromosome-linked risk
for prostate cancer that is not seen among men who do not share a
common Y chromosome.
The study findings were scheduled for presentation Friday at the
American Society of Human Genetics meeting, in Boston. The data and
conclusions should be viewed as preliminary until published in a
The American Cancer Society has more information on
risk factors for prostate cancer.
Please be aware that this information is provided to supplement the care provided by your physician. It is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. CALL YOUR HEALTHCARE PROVIDER IMMEDIATELY IF YOU THINK YOU MAY HAVE A MEDICAL EMERGENCY. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider prior to starting any new treatment or with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
Copyright © EBSCO Publishing. All rights reserved.