Prostate cancer (PrCa) is the commonest cancer in men in Europe and the USA. The genetic heritability of PrCa is contributed to by both rarely occurring genetic variants with higher penetrance and moderate to commonly occurring variants conferring lower risks. The number of identified variants belonging to the latter category has increased dramatically in the last 10 years with the development of the genome wide association study (GWAS) and the collaboration of international consortia that have led to the sharing of large-scale genotyping data. Over 40 PrCa GWAS have been reported, with approximately 170 common variants now identified. Clinical utility of these variants could include strategies for population-based risk stratification to target PrCa screening to men with an increased genetic risk of disease development, while for those who develop PrCa, identifying genetic variants could allow treatment to be tailored based on a genetic profile in the early disease setting. Functional studies of identified variants are needed to fully understand underlying mechanisms of disease and identify novel targets for treatment. This review will outline the GWAS carried out in PrCa and the common variants identified so far, and how these may be utilised clinically in the screening for and management of PrCa.
Cancer epidemiology, biomarkers & prevention : a publication of the American Association for Cancer Research, cosponsored by the American Society of Preventive Oncology. 2018 Jan 18 [Epub ahead of print]
Sarah Benafif, Zsofia Kote-Jarai, Rosalind A Eeles
Oncogenetics, Institute of Cancer Research ., The Institute of Cancer Research., Genetics & Epidemiology, The Institute of Cancer Research.