Prostate Cancer Risk Rises in Men with Lynch Syndrome
Men with Lynch syndrome face a higher lifetime risk of developing prostate cancer and appear to develop the disease at an earlier age, according to a new study led by researchers at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center. Results of the study appear online in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
Implications for Younger Men
People with Lynch syndrome have up to 80% lifetime risk of colorectal cancer and are also more likely to develop endometrial, gastric, ovarian, urinary tract, pancreatic, and brain tumors. Overall, about 1 in 440 people are carriers for the genetic mutation, making it one of the most common inherited cancer conditions.
The findings in prostate cancer have implications for screening younger men who may be at higher risk of the disease. Recent guideline recommendations advise against prostate cancer screening in men younger than 75 who do not have any symptoms.
“For men with an inherited risk factor for prostate cancer, they should still be thinking about prostate cancer screening. Our study suggests men with Lynch syndrome might benefit from regular prostate cancer screening,” said lead study author Victoria M. Raymond, a certified genetic counselor with the University of Michigan’s Cancer Genetics Clinic.
Study Details
The researchers looked at 198 families who have a strong family history of cancer and were enrolled in registries at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center or at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. These family registries included 4,127 men who were included in this analysis.
Among men with a mutation linked to Lynch syndrome, the researchers estimated their lifetime risk of prostate cancer to be 30%, compared to 18% among the general population. Men aged 20 to 59 who carried this mutation also faced a higher risk of prostate cancer than the general public.
Earlier studies have suggested that Lynch syndrome might play a role in inherited prostate cancer, but studies to date have been controversial.
“It’s been tricky to figure out if prostate cancer is really associated with Lynch syndrome. It’s a very common cancer. When you see it occurring in families, it’s difficult to figure out if that’s because it’s associated with Lynch syndrome or just because it’s really common,” Dr. Raymond said.
The current study uses a more rigorous statistical analysis and pulls from a larger number of people. This same method has previously linked Lynch syndrome to endometrial cancer and pancreatic cancer.
The content in this post has not been reviewed by the American Society of Clinical Oncology, Inc. (ASCO®) and does not necessarily reflect the ideas and opinions of ASCO®.
