Video

Night Lights Could Lead to Depression

Cervarix Has Been Approved by the FDA

The FDA Is Studying the Effects of Lasik Surgery

Painkillers Can Dull the Effects of Childhood Vaccines

Childbirth May Becoming More Complicated

Botox Sponges Might Help Nose Allergies

The FDA Advises on How to Properly Dispose of Medicine

A French Study Shows Cell Phones Do Not Affect Humans

MRIs May Lead to More Back Surgery

Your More Likely to Wash Your Hands If Someone's Watching

Co-Sleeping Is a Leading Cause of SIDS

Night Shifts Don't Have a Major Effect On Surgeons

Exercise May Counter Fatigue from Chemotherapy

Healthy Neighborhoods Could Lower the Risk for Diabetes

Doctors Fear They Have No Room For Swine Flu Patients

Another Genetic Link to Testicular Cancer Is Found

Posted on 07/02/2009, 09:00
By -- Robert Preidt

Discovery may help explain why disease runs in families

THURSDAY, July 2 (HealthDay News) -- A second gene linked to inherited testicular germ-cell cancer has been identified by scientists at the U.S. National Institutes of Health.

"This study contributes to our understanding of why testicular germ-cell cancer appears to run in families," Dr. Raynard Kington, acting NIH director, said in an agency news release. "The findings may also lead to new ways to identify men at high risk, as well as more effective ways to prevent and treat testicular germ-call cancer."

The U.S. National Cancer Institute estimates that 8,400 men will be diagnosed with testicular cancer this year, and that about 90 percent of the cases will be germ-cell cancers.

For the study, the scientists analyzed DNA from 95 familial testicular cancer patients and found seven different mutations in a gene called PDE11A. Healthy men did not have the mutations.

"The mutations don't cause cancer directly, but instead appear to increase an individual's susceptibility to developing a tumor," the study's senior author, Dr. Constantine Stratakis, chief of the endocrinology and genetics section at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, said in the news release.

The PDE11A gene is located in a key biochemical pathway in testicular germ-cell cancer, the cyclic AMP pathway, which regulates how cells respond to such signals as hormones. Drugs that affect the AMP pathway are widely available and, in theory, may help slow progression of testicular cancer.

Learning more about how mutations in PDE11A affect testicular cancer risk could help scientists identify other proteins that also play a role in the disease, Stratakis said.

The study is in the July issue of Cancer Research.

PDE11A is also highly expressed in the prostate gland, so Stratakis and colleagues are now studying the frequency of PDE11A mutations in men with prostate cancer.

More information

The American Cancer Society has more about testicular cancer.

SOURCE: U.S. National Institutes of Health, news release, June 29, 2009

More news in Men's Health...

BigHealthTree.com Disclaimer

Bighealthtree.com Does Not Provide Medical Advice. This site, including the above information, is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical or health advice. Always seek the advice of your physician or a qualified health or medical professional before starting any new treatment, changing existing treatment, or altering your current exercise and/or diet program. If you think you are having a medical emergency, call 911 (or the emergency services in your area) or your doctor immediately.

Rating: 2.9 / 5 (115 votes)