Certain blood proteins are associated with future risk of developing prostate cancer, research led by Oxford University has found. Twelve proteins were tied to prostate cancer diagnoses more than 15 years after blood samples were collected.
The investigation is the largest population-based study to date of blood proteins and future prostate cancer risk, with an emphasis on aggressive diseases. The researchers assessed more than 6,000 blood proteins and examined traits linked to the later development of prostate cancer. Researchers tracked participants for around 16 years.
Dr Zhe Huang, the leading author of the study and a postdoctoral epidemiologist at Oxford Population Health, told Cherwell: “Our findings suggest that biological changes linked to prostate cancer may be detectable in the blood many years before diagnosis, and some proteins may play a causal role in its development. This could eventually open up new opportunities for earlier detection and prevention.” He added that these findings are at the research stage and do not yet change clinical practice.
Published in European Urology, the collaborative research was led by Oxford Population Health and part-funded by Cancer Research UK. Oxford researchers, including DPhil student Trishna Desai, contributed to the study design, data analysis, interpretation, and manuscript preparation.
Over 50,000 cases of prostate cancer are diagnosed each year, making the disease the most common form of cancer for men in the UK. Dr Iain Foulkes, Executive Director of Research and Innovation at Cancer Research UK, told Cherwell: “Prostate cancer is one of the biggest cancer killers of men, yet we still don’t fully understand why some tumours grow slowly and may never cause harm, while others become aggressive and life-threatening. Understanding what drives these differences is crucial if we are to identify those most at risk and ultimately save more lives.”
Next steps include validating the findings in larger-scale investigations and analysing the underlying biological mechanisms through experimental study. Researchers at the University’s Prostate Cancer Aetiology and Prevention Programme (PCAP), funded by Cancer Research UK, will also explore whether these findings could lead to better ways of predicting or preventing prostate cancer. Foulkes told Cherwell: “While there is more work to do, discoveries like this could pave the way for better ways to identify men at risk and, ultimately, prevent aggressive prostate cancer before it develops.”
At least 12,000 men die from prostate cancer each year in the UK, with an estimated 1 in 8 men diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime. A 2023 report by Prostate Cancer UK highlights a substantial North-South divide in relation to prostate cancer diagnosis, with men in Scotland and England’s North far more likely to be diagnosed at too late a stage to be cured.
Lack of awareness of the risks of prostate cancer are a key driver of mortality. A survey study published in 2024 shows that less than half of men are sufficiently informed of prostate cancer’s symptoms. Huang told Cherwell: “University health campaigns, public lectures and student-led events could all play a valuable role in raising awareness. Although prostate cancer mainly affects older men, it is important for younger people to understand the disease and its risk factors, particularly age, family history and genetic susceptibility.”
