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Polymorphisms May Influence Survival in Prostate Cancer By NEW YORK JUN 15, 2006 (Reuters Health) - Certain genetic polymorphisms appear to be associated with a poor prognosis in patients with metastatic prostate cancer, according to Japanese researchers. In the May issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology,

Dr. Tomonori Habuchi of Akita University School of Medicine and colleagues note that there are significant differences in progression among patients with metastatic prostate cancer. This, they say, suggests that progression and response to treatment may be influenced by genetic factors. Over a period of more than 20 years, the researchers enrolled 111 prostate cancer

patients who had bone metastasis at diagnosis. Overall, their median survival time was 51 months. The investigators found that patients with long alleles of both the insulin growth factor-1 (IGF-1) and cytochrome P450 19 (CYP19) polymorphisms had the poorest outlook. Their median survival time was 28 months versus 61 months for those with other combinations. The presence of the long allele of either IGF-1 or CYP19 was also an independent risk factor for death. Median survival was 41 months for carriers of either allele. Commenting on the findings, Dr. R. Rebbeck, author of an accompanying editorial told Reuters Health, "knowledge of genomic markers has the potential to improve the practice of medicine and improve clinical outcomes." However, Dr. Rebbeck, of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, also stressed that "reliable and clinically meaningful associations of genetic information with clinical outcomes are only achieved after well-designed and validated research." Therefore, he concluded, "we have to consider how to use this information in the design of treatment trials." __________________________________________________