Prostate cancer tumour microbiome
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Prostate Cancer microbiome and racial disparity in clinical outcome
IRAS ID
316347
Contact name
Nicola Annels
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Surrey
Duration of Study in the UK
3 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
UK-based studies indicate that black men are at much greater lifetime risk of prostate cancer in comparison to their Caucasian and Asian counterparts, with higher mortality rate. Despite the UK harboring a large, diverse migrant population including those originating from the Caribbean, Africa, and Asian subcontinent, there remains a lack of UK-based research on prostate cancer risk amongst black men. Whilst studies have proposed environmental, host genetic and socioeconomic factors as potential explanations for racial disparity in prostate cancer outcomes, there is increasing evidence in other cancer types for the influence of intratumour microbiome on racial disparity in clinical outcomes. Microbes may influence the initiation and progression of prostate cancer via direct interactions at the site of cancer development and/or through indirect interactions including production of toxins and metabolites and the mediation of the immune response. A recent study showed how androgen deprivation drives the expansion of defined commensal microbiota that promote endocrine resistance in prostate cancer through androgen biosynthesis. This project will investigate whether racial differences in microbiota are present in archived prostate cancer tissue from black, Asian and white males and whether these differences result in changes in the pathologic prostate microenvironment and clinical outcomes.
REC name
South Central - Hampshire A Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
23/SC/0051
Date of REC Opinion
30 Jan 2023
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion