New Genetic Test Predicts Prostate Cancer Recurrence Risk with 80% Accuracy

Researchers have developed a personalized genetic test that can accurately predict the risk for recurrence in prostate cancer patients.

Examining biopsy tissue taken prior to treatment, the test analyzes the oxygen content and genetic abnormalities of a patient’s prostate cancer. According to the researchers’ findings, which were published online in the December 2014 issue of The Lancet Oncology, this information can identify with nearly 80% accuracy which prostate cancer patients are at greatest risk for disease recurrence.

The research team studied 2 patient groups during the development of the genetic test. In the first group, the team analyzed the DNA of 126 men who were treated with image-guided radiotherapy and followed for an average of 7.8 years. For the second group, the researchers used the test on 150 men whose tumors were surgically removed. The genetic test produced similar results in both groups, leading the researchers to note that the test could be used by patients who choose to be treated by either radiotherapy or surgery.

The study found that men with low levels of genetic changes and high levels of oxygen often had the best outcomes (<7% recurrence of prostate cancer at 5 years), while 50% of men with high levels of genetic changes and low levels of oxygen experienced recurrence. The researchers suggested that men found to be at risk could be offered intensified treatment.