HPC2 might account for 5 percent to 10 percent of all prostate cancers. With 180,000 men diagnosed as having prostate cancer each year, even that tiny proportion of all cases would account for tens of thousands of those new diagnoses and might be found in a much larger group of men who have yet to show symptoms of the cancer. The HPC2 gene was discovered by Sean Tavtigian of Myriad Genetics Inc. in Salt Lake City. The gene was isolated from a family of Utah Mormons who suffered a hereditary form of the disease. Usually, cancer susceptibility genes come in two types.
Hereditary cancers are just a tiny percentage of all cancers.
Among prostate cancers, about 10 percent are considered hereditary. HPC2 is unusual among these susceptibility genes because it is implicated in both hereditary and the much more common sporadic cases of prostate cancer. 2001 AzStarNet, Arizona Daily Star and its wire services and suppliers, and may not be republished without permission. All rights reserved. Any copying, redistribution, or retransmission of any of the contents of this service without the express written consent of Arizona Daily Star or AzStarNet is prohibited.