Still a way to go before genetic tests for prostate cancer are any use

NEW PROSTATE CANCER INFOLINK: The US Food and Drug Administration is warning companies offering genetic tests for diseases – including prostate cancer – that their claims can’t be backed up by research data. Mike Scott says the prostate cancer ones are, as yet, not particularly useful, and he sets out criteria for companies to meet [...]

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Messenger gene found in urine may indicate prostate cancer

URO TODAY: Urine samples that show higher levels of PCA3 – a prostate-specific messenger gene – could be an accurate indication of prostate cancer, Italian researchers report. READ MORE> Our results indicate that the PCA3 score is a valid tool for prostate cancer detection and its role in making better biopsy decisions. This marker [helps] [...]

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Mapping genetic changes may help doctors decide best treatment option for prostate cancer patients

URO TODAY: Mapping gene alterations in “intermediate risk” prostate cancer patients may be an effective way of deciding what treatment to apply. READ MORE> The use of high-resolution comparative genomic hybridization for fine-mapping of deletions and amplifications in pre-radiotherapy prostate cancer biopsies is feasible. Genetic alterations may delineate localised prostate cancer from systemic disease and [...]

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Accurate test developed for gene found in most prostate cancers

URO TODAY:  Activation of the ERG gene, by combining with other genes, is one of the key genetic defects in prostate cancer and US researchers have developed a highly accurate test for it. READ MORE>

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DNA variations associated with prostate cancer outcomes

URO TODAY: Researchers have investigated associations between 29 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) and biochemical recurrence, castration-resistant metastasis, and prostate cancer-specific survival, and found the SNPs are a clue to outcomes. READ MORE>

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Prostate cancer Gene 3 on its own not useful for predicting outcome in men under active surveillance

URO TODAY: Testing for prostate cancer Gene 3 in urine in men under active surveillance is not on its own a useful predictor of disease progression.

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Several genetic variations in Europeans found to be linked to prostate cancer

URO TODAY: Two prostate cancer genome-wide scans in populations of European ancestry have identified several genetic variants that are strongly associated with prostate cancer risk.

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Rescuing key immune system cells may reduce risk of prostate cancer

URO TODAY: Genetic risk of prostate cancer can be reduced by rescuing critical immune system cells, a new study from the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center suggests.

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Progress being made on understanding how cancer genes work

NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL OF MEDICINE: Some 350 cancer genes have so far been identified by researchers, but there may be as many as 2000, says Dr James R Downing, Memphis, in an analysis of cancer genome research.

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PROSTATE MARKERS: Money wasted on genetic variations with little prognostic value

JUNE 25: NEW PROSTATE CANCER INFOLINK: “We need to start really focusing on whether this or that genetic variation has any prognostic impact on prostate cancer risk before we waste a lot of money chasing associations that have minimal likelihood of prognostic value,” writes Mike Scott.

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