New! Sign up for our free email newsletter.
Science News
from research organizations

New Method For Predicting Prostate Cancer And The Risk For Metastasis

Date:
April 16, 2003
Source:
Pacific Northwest Research Institute
Summary:
A new study, to be published this week in the online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, has shown that in about 40% of men older than 50 the DNA of the prostate is damaged. This damage closely resembles that found in the DNA of prostate cancer.
Share:
FULL STORY

A new study, to be published this week in the online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, has shown that in about 40% of men older than 50 the DNA of the prostate is damaged. This damage closely resembles that found in the DNA of prostate cancer. This cancer-like DNA could readily be identified using biopsy tissues and is believed to indicate a high risk for prostate cancer, according to the lead investigator, Dr. Donald C. Malins of the Pacific Northwest Research Institute in Seattle.

Malins and colleagues have found that the damage to prostate DNA increases with age and that free radicals are likely contributing factors.

Additional evidence in the report shows that the DNA from prostate tumor biopsies could be used to signal whether a prostate cancer has begun to metastasize, thus allowing doctors and patients to reach more fully informed treatment decisions.

Prior to this discovery, the only practical method for determining whether a prostate tumor has metastasized was to identify metastases in other parts of the body. Once a metastatic cancer has spread, intervention to save the patient's life is severely compromised.

These new findings were obtained using a technique developed in Malins' laboratory combining highly sensitive and discriminating Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy with statistical analysis.

Malins stated that this technique is ideally suited for physicians to identify patients at risk for developing primary prostate tumors. "Most importantly, this finding is particularly promising for determining whether a primary tumor has progressed to the metastatic state, and for identifying those patients at high risk for metastasis," said Malins, who is a member of the National Academy of Sciences.


Story Source:

Materials provided by Pacific Northwest Research Institute. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


Cite This Page:

Pacific Northwest Research Institute. "New Method For Predicting Prostate Cancer And The Risk For Metastasis." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 16 April 2003. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/04/030416085729.htm>.
Pacific Northwest Research Institute. (2003, April 16). New Method For Predicting Prostate Cancer And The Risk For Metastasis. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 27, 2024 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/04/030416085729.htm
Pacific Northwest Research Institute. "New Method For Predicting Prostate Cancer And The Risk For Metastasis." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/04/030416085729.htm (accessed March 27, 2024).

Explore More

from ScienceDaily

RELATED STORIES