Variants for prostate cancer and multi-ancestry polygenic risk score associated with aggressive disease in men of African ancestry

Researchers conducted a meta- analysis of ten genome-wide association studies of more than19,000 cases and 60,000 controls of African ancestry to identify common genetic variants contributing to the risk of prostate cancer in men of African ancestry.

They discovered nine novel prostate cancer risk variants, of which seven were only found or found substantially more commonly in men of African ancestry, including an African-specific stop-gain variant in the prostate-specific gene anoctamin 7 (ANO7). A multi-ancestry polygenic risk score (PRS) of 278 risk variants conferred strong associations with prostate cancer risk in African ancestry studies. Compared with men in the 40-60% PRS category, men in the top 10 percent had a significantly higher risk of aggressive prostate cancer.

This study demonstrates the importance of large-scale genetic studies in men of African ancestry to provide a better understanding of prostate cancer susceptibility in this high-risk population. Additionally, this work suggests the potential use of PRS in differentiating between the risks of developing aggressive and nonaggressive disease in men of African ancestry.

Eur Urol. 2023 Jul;84(1):13-21. doi: 10.1016/j.eururo.2023.01.022. Epub 2023 Mar 3.