Genetic test for prostate cancer in Black men

Developing a test to screen for prostate cancer

There is a racial disparity in prostate cancer where Black men are twice more likely to develop this illness and die of it than white men

Early diagnosis is key to improving prostate cancer outcomes

Men are often diagnosed too late, when treatment can be more complicated

Currently, we don’t have a test that can be used to accurately screen for prostate cancer

Professor Dmitry Pshezhetskiy and his team are developing a new genetic blood test to detect prostate cancer in Black men

The team’s previous research has shown that prostate cancer tumours leave a genetic imprint on blood cells

These imprints can be detected using a PCR technique, like that used for Covid tests

If successful, these tests could be used for cancer screening as they are rapid, minimally invasive, accurate and cost-effective

Professor Dmitry Pshezhetskiy

Principal Investigator

After obtaining MSc and PhD, Dmitry carried out post-doctoral research in Paul Sabatier University, Toulouse and CNRS Institute of Structural Biology and Pharmacology, Toulouse. During this time he also worked as a visiting scientist on a sabbatical project at McGill University, Montreal. Dmitry established his first lab at Imperial College London which he joined as a Research Fellow/Head of the Tumour Microenvironment and Chemotherapy group.

Since April 2012 Dmitry has held a Senior Lectureship and subsequently a Professorship at the Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia. His current research interests include the molecular mechanisms of cancer pathogenesis, nanomedicine, cancer biomarkers and novel targeted therapies.

The genetics behind the gap?

Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in the UK.

Black men are twice as likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer compared to White men, and 2.5 times more likely to die from the disease. We now know that most cases of prostate cancer (except for those cases that are passed through family) are caused by changes to the way our genes are turned on and off. Recent research has shown that biological factors and genetic differences also play a significant role in Black men’s increased risk and poorer outcomes, alongside unequal access to care and social factors. But, at the moment, we still don’t know how or to what extent.

Dmitry and the team hope that their test could be used for prostate cancer screening. This means that we will be able to diagnose people at earlier stages in cases where it may have otherwise been missed until a later stage, for example when there are no symptoms or in patients from the Black community.

The importance of early diagnosis

Early diagnosis is key to improving prostate cancer outcomes.

100% of people diagnosed with stage 1 prostate cancer survive for 5 years or more following their diagnosis compared to just 50% diagnosed with stage 4. Black men are often diagnosed at a later stage, when treatment can be more complicated. Despite this, we don’t have a test that can be used to accurately screen for prostate cancer. Currently, people are diagnosed using the PSA test alongside other tests like digital rectal examination, MRI and biopsy which can be uncomfortable and comes with a risk of infection. About 3 out of 4 men with a high PSA will not have cancer, and approximately 1 in 7 prostate cancers can be missed.

The test is based on PCR techniques and would be cheap, rapid and accessible, meaning that it can be rolled out relatively quickly to start making a difference for people with prostate cancer if proven to be successful.

The research project

Dmitry and his team at the University of East Anglia are developing a genetic blood test which they hope could be used to detect prostate cancer in Black men. Their previous research has shown that prostate cancer tumours leave a genetic imprint on blood cells, which can then be detected using a similar PCR technique to that used for Covid tests.

The team will be using new technology that combines DNA testing with machine learning algorithms to search for specific genetic imprints in the blood of Black patients and compare them to their white counterparts, and a control group without cancer. These genetic imprints will then be picked up through a blood test.

The genetic blood tests would be rapid, minimally invasive, accurate and cheap so if successful, most hospitals would be able to carry them out.

Finally, the team also believe that their research could help build a new classification system for prostate cancer and identify new targets for treatments in Black men, leading to more personalised treatment options.

“

Black men are twice more likely to develop prostate cancer than white men, but there is no specific cancer test available for them. We are very excited to partner with the NHS to investigate a new epigenetic-based blood test that may offer an early diagnosis for these men.
Professor Dmitry Pshezhetskiy
Lead researcher