Investigating an infectious aetiology of prostate cancer
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Investigating an infectious aetiology of prostate cancer
IRAS ID
194738
Contact name
Myra McClure
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Imperial College London
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Men of Black ethnicity (e.g. British-African, African-Caribbean, etc) are diagnosed with prostate cancer at nearly twice the rate of Caucasian men. Previous research has shown that the immune response is over-activated in prostate cancer tissue derived from Black men, compared to prostate cancer tissue derived from other ethnic groups. The reason for this is unknown.
Chronic infection is a common cause of immune activation, and has been linked to the initiation of other cancers. Our hypothesis is that certain gene combinations that are common in Black men make them susceptible for chronic infection of the prostate; an increased immune response to combat infection may cause, or be associated with, the increased risk of developing prostate cancer in Black men.
To test this hypothesis we aim to generate gene activation profiles from prostate tissue in men with suspected prostate cancer. By comparing the profiles of cancerous tissue originating from Black and non-Black men, we will be able to determine: 1) differences in gene activation / repression between the groups, and 2) the presence of activated genes that come from known, or possibly unknown, infectious organisms.
The TRUS systematic biopsy method is used to sample prostate tissue of men with suspected prostate cancer. The recommended protocol involves fine-needle biopsy (small removal of tissue) of 10-12 sites across the prostate. During such a procedure, an additional 2-4 biopsies (14 biopsies total) would be performed for specific use in our study. Thus, patients eligible for contribution to this study would not undergo any extra procedure outside of normal practice.
The aim of our study is to compare gene-expression profiles from cancerous tissue, with an equal distribution between biopsies from Black and Caucasian men.
REC name
London - Harrow Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
16/LO/0027
Date of REC Opinion
16 Feb 2016
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion