MUTATIONS in two genes well known for increasing the risk of breast and ovarian cancer may also play an important role in advanced prostate cancer, researchers said, an unexpected discovery that could lead to new treatments for some men with the disease.Analysis of DNA from tumour tissue obtained from 150 men with late-stage prostate cancer revealed mutations in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes in about 15% of cases, according to a study published on Thursday by the journal Cell. An additional 5% of the men had aberrations in genes with similar function.Previous studies had turned up such mutations in a small fraction of men with early-stage disease, but "we had no idea they were that common" in advanced prostate cancer, said Charles Sawyers, chair of the human oncology and pathogenesis programme at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre and one of the leaders of the study. The finding suggests that about 20% of men who have stopped responding to conventional hormone therapy may be candidat...
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