Learning more about prostate cancer is the goal of a new research project announced Tuesday that aims to map the genetic structure of the disease. It's hoped the $20-million endeavour will provide new information that could improve diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer. About 24,600 new cases are diagnosed in Canada each year, and the disease killed an estimated 4,300 men last year. The project, announced by the International Cancer Genome Consortium, will be called the Canadian Prostate Cancer Genome Network. Known as CPC GENE, it will try to crack the prostate cancer genetic code by identifying changes or mutations in the DNA sequences of prostate cancers. Prostate Cancer Canada will provide up to $15 million in funding, and $5 million will come from the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research. "I lost my father at age 63 to prostate cancer and too many of my friends struggle with this illness," Glen Murray, Ontario's minister of research and innovation, said in a statement. "Our government is making this investment to hasten the day when we can talk about prostate cancer in the past tense." Dr. Tom Hudson, president and scientific director of the Institute for Cancer Research, said it's hoped that within five years, gene-based diagnoses will help doctors figure out which patients need intensive therapies and which ones benefit from the monitoring process known as watchful waiting. The project will be led by Dr. Robert Bristow, a senior scientist at the Ontario Cancer Institute. It will involve researchers working in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Kingston and Montreal.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Project announced to map genetic structure of prostate cancer
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