MicroRNA variations associated with earlier prostate cancer diagnosis in African-American men
Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related death among American men. Yet population-wide screening programs have not reduced the number of deaths from the disease. By focusing screening programs on the men who are at greatest risk for aggressive disease or diagnosis at a young age, researchers think they could improve mortality rates and personalize the screening approach. For that reason, scientists have been looking for genetic markers to help them identify exactly which men are at high risk and require regular screening. Now, Fox Chase Cancer Center researchers have found that two novel genetic markers are associated with earlier time to prostate cancer diagnosis among African American menand the markers are in a part of the genome that has only recently come under scientific study.