Why
African American Families are Important to Prostate Cancer Studies
�He who leaves truth
behind, returns to it,�
Meaning that
a person who does something good somewhere, when he
comes back, people receive him with gladness.
Swahili
Proverb
One
out of every five American men will develop prostate cancer
in his lifetime. That means about 232,000 new cases this year,
with 30,350 deaths. It is the second leading cause of cancer death among
Americans, after lung
cancer.
For African American men, the risk is even
higher. In general, they have the highest rate of prostate cancer
of any ethnic subgroup
in the world. Some studies
indicate a rate twice as high as white men.
Why?
We don�t really know. Some studies say this
might be caused by a delayed diagnosis, diet, hormones and/or genetics.
One thing researchers have known for a long
time is that
FAMILY MATTERS! Men with a father, brother or son with
prostate cancer have a 200% to 300%
added
risk of developing the disease. This is twice as high as
the population in general. Some studies also indicate that when
the disease comes
before age 65 there could
be a strong genetic link. Even the relatives of men who get
it before age 65 tend to have a higher risk of prostate cancer.
Also, the more cases in a family, the higher
the risk to other male relatives. What that means is that men
with just one single
case of prostate cancer
in the family have about a 200% increase. This risk goes
up to 500% when there are two
close relatives (father, brother, son).
These strong family
connections mean that we need to study more families with prostate
cancer if we are to learn what causes
the disease
and how it is
passed on.
Several genetic studies have focused on Caucasian
families and these suggest that several genes are involved
in inherited prostate
cancer. We have to
remember, however, that genetic risk factors differ
among families.
Here, at LSU Health Sciences Center,
our research is focused on African Americans, the group most at risk.
We need to
collect
a lot more information
on African
Americans with family histories of prostate cancer
to determine if the genes reported in Caucasian families
are also important
for African American families.
This is vital information
because prostate cancer in African Americans could be caused
by a different
set
of genes. It
could also be
that the same genes
are
involved in both populations, but with a higher
frequency in the African American population.
We
just don’t know and that is why African American families can
make a difference. Participation by African Americans
in genetic studies will help to
resolve some of the issues concerning the
high occurrence of prostate cancer in this group.
Also, by finding
or confirming the location of
genes that cause prostate cancer, we
can make modern screening
procedures
so much
more effective.
Since 1998, about 15,000 free cancer
screenings have been given by LSU Health
Sciences Center
to men in our
community.
Imagine
how we could improve on
this program if we had more complete
information on the genes responsible
for prostate
cancer.
The bottom line is that genetic
family studies will help to reduce the death
rate among African
Americans. By knowing
more, we can
diagnose at an earlier
stage, when treatment is more effective.
The five-year survival rate for patients
whose cancer is
treated before it
has spread outside
the prostate gland
is almost 100%.
By caring about each other, we can
do more to prevent cancer from causing
death.
To quote
another African
proverb, this
time from
the Burundi tribe:
“In harmony, everything
succeeds”
Here at the LSU Health Sciences
Center, in the Department of Genetics, we are conducting a genetic study
of prostate cancer in African American men with two
or more relatives having the
disease. This includes uncles, grandfathers and cousins, in addition
to fathers,
brothers
and sons.
The purpose of this study is to collect data
from high-risk African American families (where more than one individual has
been affected with prostate cancer) and use that information to determine if prostate cancer risk in this population
is due to genes in the same or different regions than in white Americans.
The data collected will help to resolve some of the issues concerning
the high occurrence of prostate cancer in African Americans. In the
future, men could be identified as having the specific risk factor or not.
Prostate cancer gene carriers could be followed carefully so that any cancers that
may develop are found at an early stage, when the cancers are most
likely to be curable. Therefore, the information found may help with
cancer prevention plans.
You may contact Dr. Diptasri Mandal (e-mail prcastudy@lsuhsc.edu)
or one of her research associates at (504) 568-4400 for more information.
If
you feel your
family may
qualify
to participate, you may click on the form below, complete
and submit.
Dr. Diptasri Mandal
Department of Genetics
LSU Health Sciences Center
533 Bolivar Street, 6th floor
New Orleans, LA 70112
Cancer Study Information Form
View article written by Dr. Mandal: "Genetics
of Prostate Cancer: Role of Family History"
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