This discovery has opened up a number of possibilities for further studies. The researchers set out to identify genetic mutations that could be used as markers to determine prostate cancer susceptibility. They examined the CYP3A4 gene because one of its functions is to process testosterone through the body and because there is a strong correlation between elevated testosterone levels and the development of prostate cancer. Rebbeck and his colleagues predict that a mutation in the CYP3A4 gene may result in elevated levels of testosterone, thus contributing to prostate cancer development. The mutation identified in the CYP3A4 gene is not believed to be associated with hereditary prostate cancer, as is the case with the HPC1 gene, which rarely mutates and has a hereditary link.
Prostate cancer is the second leading cancer killer in men.
This year, the American Cancer Society estimates that 184,500 new cases of prostate cancer will be diagnosed and approximately 39,000 men will die of this disease in the United States. African-American men are about two times more likely to develop prostate cancer than are Caucasian men. Penn researchers are currently recruiting African-American men for various prostate cancer studies. We'll conduct basic science studies attempting to explain a correlation between the mutated gene and the risk of developing prostate cancer. Rebbeck and Malkowicz presented the study at the American Urological Association's annual meeting in May and won Michael Milken's CAPCure award for their work.