London: A faulty gene that increases breast cancer risk in women also quadruples the chances of prostate cancer among men, says a recent study.
"Until now, there has been some doubt as to whether mutations in the BRCA1 gene increase the risk of prostate cancer," said Ros Eeles, professor at the Institute of Cancer Research in London, who conducted the research.
"Our study has shown that men with prostate cancer have a one in 200 chance of having an alteration of this gene and men with this alteration have a 3.8 fold increased risk of developing the disease," said Eeles, the British Journal of Cancer reports.
Men carrying a faulty BRCA1 gene have a one in 11 chance of developing prostate cancer by 65 years, the study said. The faulty gene seemed to be tied to a particularly aggressive form of cancer making early detection and treatment vital, according to the Telegraph.
In breast cancer, BRCA1 increases the chances of developing the disease five-fold, giving them a six in 10 chance of breast cancer compared with a one in eight chance for healthy women. It has led some women with the faulty gene to have pre-emptive mastectomy rather than live with high risk of breast cancer.
Emma Malcolm, chief executive of the charity Prostate Action, which co-funded the study, said: "Early detection of prostate cancer can vastly improve the chances of successful treatment but at the moment there is no effective way of screening the disease."
IANS
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.