Servet advises more than 200 genetic prostate cancer patients

Hereditary cancer syndromes generally account for between 5 and 10% of all cancers

The Miguel Servet Hospital in Zaragoza has treated more than 200 patients in the new genetic counseling consultation for germline prostate cancer, which is inherited from parents and can become heritable to descendants.

Hereditary cancer syndromes generally account for between 5 and 10% of all cancers, a low percentage but one that is "especially important for the patient and his family environment due to the precocity of the tumor, its aggressiveness and other factors." possible associated tumors," says the Government of Aragon in a press release.

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The new consultation model implemented for this type of cancer, pioneer in Spain, and on a monthly basis, is carried out by the Urology service and is possible thanks to the involvement of the Genetics Unit of the Biochemistry, Radiation Oncology and Pathological Anatomy service .

According to the section head of the Prostate Unit of the HUMS Urology service, Ángel Borque, "the majority of prostate cancers are sporadic, that is, they are born because a genetic mutation arises in the prostate tissue and cancer appears."

Borque points out that there are 15% of familial cases and between 5-10% that are, "literally", hereditary from a relative "with a heritable mutation that causes a high risk of having this prostate tumor."

The objective of the specialists is in these cases to achieve greater knowledge of the neoplastic process that affects the patient; assess whether the patient is at risk of developing other tumors and study the family environment because if genes linked to hereditary prostate cancer are identified, both descendants and first-degree relatives may have other types of tumors linked to it and achieving early diagnosis will help to a better prognosis.

Although prostate cancer is one of the tumors with the highest incidence, Servet warns that not all men diagnosed with this process require genetic counseling and only cases in which it is suspected that a gene exists should be studied. inherited.
To this end, suspicion criteria have been established such as early age of tumor appearance, bilaterality if feasible, and the coexistence of other tumors or other specific aspects of the tumor.

However, not having these genes "does not mean being free from suffering from cancer" and "being a carrier does not necessarily mean that it will develop, but it can significantly increase the risk," explain the aforementioned sources.

A type of hereditary prostate cancer is linked to Lynch Syndrome, hereditary colon cancer, and although it poses a greater risk of developing cancer, "it is not an early-onset or more aggressive tumor," says Borque.

Physicians are most concerned about hereditary prostate cancer related to the BRCA2 and BRCA1 gene (associated with hereditary breast and ovarian cancer syndrome).

If a man inherits it, he has a higher risk of prostate cancer, and if he does have it, it can be at an earlier age and more aggressive, so, according to this urologist, having knowledge of all these extremes "will allow for genetic counseling and determine, if necessary, a schedule of reviews or tests to monitor the evolution of the carriers of those genes."