We assessed the evidence for association between 23 recently reported prostate cancer (PCa) variants and early-onset PCa and the aggregate value of 63 PCa variants for predicting early-onset disease using 931 unrelated men diagnosed with PCa prior to age 56 years and 1126 male controls.
Logistic regression models were used to test the evidence for association between the 23 new variants and early-onset PCa. Weighted and unweighted sums of total risk alleles across these 23 variants and 40 established variants were constructed. Weights were based on previously reported effect size estimates. Receiver operating characteristic curves and forest plots, using defined cut-points, were constructed to assess the predictive value of the burden of risk alleles on early-onset disease.
Ten of the 23 new variants demonstrated evidence (p < 0. 05) for association with early-onset PCa, including four that were significant after multiple test correction. The aggregate burden of risk alleles across the 63 variants was predictive of early-onset PCa (Area Under Curve = 0. 71 using weighted sums), especially in men with a high burden of total risk alleles.
A high burden of risk alleles is strongly associated with early-onset PCa.
Our results provide the first formal replication for several of these 23 new variants and demonstrate that a high burden of common-variant risk alleles is a major risk factor for early-onset PCa.
Cancer epidemiology, biomarkers & prevention : a publication of the American Association for Cancer Research, cosponsored by the American Society of Preventive Oncology. 2015 Dec 15 [Epub ahead of print]
Ethan M Lange, Jessica Ribado, Kimberly A Zuhlke, Anna Johnson, Gregory Keele, Jin Li, Yunfei Wang, Qing Duan, Ge Li, Zhengrong Gao, Yun Li, Jianfeng Xu, Siqun Lilly Zheng, Kathleen A Cooney
Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina University of North Carolina. , Internal Medicine, University of Michigan. , University of Michigan. , University of North Carolina. , University of North Carolina. , George Washington University. , University of North Carolina. , Wake Forest University. , Wake Forest University. , Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina. , Center for Cancer Genomics; Center for Genomics and Personalized Medicine Research, Wake Forest University School of Medicine; Fudan University; Van Andel Research Institute. , Center for Cancer Genomics; Department of Genomics and Personalized Medicine Research, Wake Forest University School of Medicine. , University of Michigan.