A newly discovered genetic variant appears to carry with it a significant risk for prostate cancer, putting about one man in every 10 at increased risk for developing the disease. The DNA marker, is common in people with and without prostate cancer, but raises the risk of getting prostate cancer by 60 percent among men with the variant, compared with those who do not carry the gene, according to a team of scientists at deCODE Genetics in Reykjavik, Iceland. Prostate cancer, after skin cancer, is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in men, and this finding marks a major milestone in understanding, diagnosing and treating the disease.

The newly discovered genetic variant, described online in the journal Nature Genetics, is carried by at least 19% of men of European ancestry with prostate cancer, conferring an approximately 60% increase in risk of the disease and accounting for approximately 8% of all prostate cancer cases. Among African-Americans, the genetic variant carries the same risk but is twice as common. This could explain "a significant part" of the reason that prostate cancer is more common in this population, said Kari Stefansson, CEO of deCODE and senior author of the study.

The new variant discovered by scientists at deCODE genetics lies on chromosome 8 of the DNA, a region that is often amplified in prostate tumors.

"This discovery is important from a medical standpoint because the only firmly established risk factors for the disease until now have been age, family history and ethnicity," said Kari Stefansson. Because this variant also appears to be associated with the development of more aggressive prostate tumors, deCODE plans to use this discovery as the basis for the development of a diagnostic test, to help physicians decide how aggressively to treat the disease. A very good reason to trace your medical family history - it could, literally, save your life!

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