CANCER DIGEST – Jan. 10, 2015 – If you are a man over 50, your doctor may ask you more questions about prostate cancer in your grandfathers and great grandfathers before ordering a PSA test at your next physical. That’s because a new study shows a more complete family history would augment the usefulness of that test.
Researchers at the Huntsman Cancer Institute used data from the Utah Population Database, which combines genealogic and medical information for more than 7.3 million people. The goal was to create individualized risk estimates for men based on the history of prostate cancer in their first-, second-, and third degree relatives.
They found that two-thirds of Utah men have some increased risk of developing prostate cancer based on their family history of the disease, but only a minority has a substantially increased risk. Of those with increased risk, 10 percent have three times the risk, and 26 percent have double the risk, compared to men from families with no history of prostate cancer.
The researchers suggest that having a more complete family history of prostate cancer would help physicians decide whether or not a PSA test would be appropriate.
The researchers also found a suggestion there may be a greater risk for men with prostate cancer on both their mother’s and father’s side of the family and will investigate that further along with other factors in a family history of prostate cancer. In addition, the team is currently working on similar family history risk assessments for breast and lung cancers.
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