People with a Family History of Prostate Cancer May Have Better Survival

A greater family history (FH) of prostate cancer (PrCa) is associated with a lower risk of PrCA-specific and all-cause mortality, according to a study published in European Urology.

The investigators of this study sought to determine how the number, degree, and age of a PrCa patient’s affected relatives are associated with overall survival (OS) and PrCa-specific survival (PCSS) in patients already diagnosed with PrCa.

In this analysis, the researchers assessed OS and PCSS in 16,340 men from the The UK Genetic Prostate Cancer Study, which is a longitudinal, multi-institutional, observational study collated data since 1992. The primary end point of interest was defined as all-cause mortality among PrCa patients. The risk of mortality correlated with FH was analyzed using hazard ratios from Cox proportional hazard regression models.

According to the results, a stronger FH of PrCa was inversely associated with the risk of all-cause and PrCa-specific mortality. The investigators noted that the link was greater in those with an increasing number (p-trend < 0.001) and increasing closeness (p-trend < 0.001) of the diagnosed relatives. Specifically, the researchers observed that patients with at least one first-degree relative were at a lower risk of all-cause mortality than those with no FH.

“Based on the investigation of the type and timing of relatives’ cancers, it is likely that reductions in mortality are due almost completely to a greater awareness of the disease,” the researchers concluded. “This study provides information for clinicians guiding patients and their relatives based on their familial risk. It shows the importance of screening and awareness programs, which are likely to improve survival among men with an FH.”