Genetics of prostate cancer

The public health burden of prostate cancer is substantial. A total of 268,490 new cases of prostate cancer and 34,500 deaths from the disease are anticipated in the United States in 2022, making it the most frequent nondermatological cancer among U.S. male. 

Inharitant variants in particular genes, such as BRCA1, BRCA2, and HOXB13, account for some cases of hereditary prostate cancer. Men with variants in these genes have a high risk of developing prostate cancer and, in some cases, other cancers during their lifetimes. Prostate cancer may occur due to other cause. 

variants in the  BRCA1, BRCA2, and HOXB13, genes are inherited in an autosomal dominant pattern which means one copy of the altered gene in each cell is sufficient to increase a person's chance of developing cancer. In other cases, the inheritance of prostate cancer risk is unclear. It is important to note that people inherit an increased risk of cancer, not the disease itself. Not all people who inherit variants in these genes will develop cancer.

Linkage analyses led to the successful identification of HOXB13 at 17q21-22 as a prostate cancer susceptibility gene