The researchers, who did not attempt to find out why the differences exist between ethnic groups, suggest that their findings make a case for considering targeted prostate cancer screening of black men.
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Sarah Williams, health information manager at Cancer Research UK, points out that some people will get false positive results from screenings, and will sometimes receive unnecessary treatment as a result.
Scientists at University College London (UCL) analysed the responses of 60,000 cancer patients diagnosed through their GP and found 13,300, or 23%, had made three visits or more before being tested.
The breakthrough could allow doctors to better distinguish the more common, slow-growing forms of the disease from the deadlier, faster-growing varieties – the “holy grail” of prostate cancer research.
In the past month the NHS has published new guidance for Global Positioning System alongside a £400million cancer strategy to improve diagnosis and treatment.
The study, which focused on men in England, also revealed that Asian men have about half the risk of being diagnosed with prostate cancer and dying from it, compared to white men.
That connection is about to be thrown into the spotlight yet again, as PokerStars will be working with Prostate Cancer UK to create a special charity event this September.
The findings reinforce previous evidence of increased risk.
By being able to tell the tumors apart, the researchers were more accurate at predicting which cancers were more likely to be aggressive than tests now used, including the PSA and Gleason score.
“It clearly should be if we are to offer the local community the level of care that they so gravely need and deserve”. The implications are that genetic testing can help researchers better identify the specific type of cancer and recommend the most appropriate treatment. Choosing the right treatment for the right type of prostate cancer could mean more years of life and a better quality of life. “PokerStars is in constant contact with tens of thousands of men every day and this partnership will be invaluable in terms of spreading awareness and educating men about prostate cancer, raising money for Prostate Cancer UK and ultimately saving lives”.
This is the first study of its kind and could silverline efforts to effectively treat prostate cancer, as soon as the results are confirmed in larger studies.
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Scientists from the Cancer Research United Kingdom Cambridge Institute have discovered in a landmark study that there are five distinct types of prostate cancer.
