Prostate Cancer and Genetic Testing

With the development of medicine and DNA technology, we have known for some time that diseases like breast cancer and ovarian cancer is tied to genetics. Similarly, we have recently found more evidence that prostate cancer in men is also linked to genetics which, on a lighter note, can lead us to even more early identification of this cancer in men around the world.

What?

According to SNPedia, a risk model for prostate cancers is based on two major predictors. The first is family history and inherited genetic mutations. The traits and code passed to you from your parents; or a genetic mutation, which is a permanent alteration in the DNA sequence for a gene. The second is 5 SNPs. SNPs are the most common form of genetic variation in individuals, each one represents a difference in a single DNA nucleotide.

Research has shown a connection of some type between individual types of prostate cancers and inherited mutations in BRCA1, BRCA2, ATM and CHEK2. BRCA 1 and 2 are both genes that produce tumor suppressor proteins. ATM is also a gene that makes proteins that when mutated increases the risk of cancers. The CHEK2 gene provides instructions for making a protein called checkpoint kinase 2. This protein acts as a tumor suppressor

The 5 SNPs chosen to represent five regions of chromosomes 17q12, 17q24.3 and 8q24 (three regions) are rs4430796, from ch 17q12, rs1859962, from ch 17q24.3, rs16901979, from ch 8q24 (region 2), rs6983267, from 8q24 (region 3), and rs1447295, from 8q24 (region 1).

These are the gene sequences and mutations tested to help address aggressive types of prostate cancer in men.

Who?

There are, according to the Urology Care Foundation, two groups of men that should actively consider genetic testing for prostate cancer.

The first group is men with localized prostate cancer who also have a family history of breast, colon, ovarian, pancreatic or prostate cancer. Localized means that the cancer has not spread outside the prostate. The reason why men with this type of cancer should consider being tested is that it can identify mutations in genes that could be harmful or be passed to offspring, rather than assess the risk of developing prostate cancer.

The second group of men who may want to think about genetic screening are those with metastatic prostate cancer. Metastatic prostate cancer is a type of cancer that has spread beyond the prostate into other areas of the body. A recent study found that nearly 12 percent of men with metastatic prostate cancer will have a genetic mutation present. This discovery can help lead to various treatment plans for patients, which brings me to my next point.

Why?

Getting the news that you have a genetic mutation linked to prostate cancer benefits your whole family. They too may now consider testing to see if they also inherited the gene. Moreover, men with a family history of a genetic mutation should start getting screened for prostate cancer earlier than men who do not. BRCA1 and BRCA 2, two of the genes in question have an autosomal dominant pattern of inheritance while ATM and CHEK2 are passed in an autosomal recessive manner.

On the contrary, there is speculation about the drawbacks of using genetic testing haphazardly with men. While screening helps many patients and their families, there is concern that we could begin to overuse genetic testing prematurely in men for a type of cancer that more men die with than die of, according to AARP.

The main reason to get genetic testing is if you have been diagnosed with a form of prostate cancer or it runs in your family so you can educate your family about the importance of early detection. The misconception that all men need to get screened for early detection can lead to overuse of screening as well as premature testing which is costly, time-consuming, and stigmatized. There is also, however, the benefit screening provides to men who do not have prostate cancer of alerting them to mutations that put them at a higher risk, etc.

Another caution in genetic testing is the possibility of false-negative and false-positive test results. According to a Harvard Medical School study, the test failed to predict 95% of cancer in the sample of men, as well as 2.2% of men without cancer in the study were lead to worry about an increased risk of cancer. This worry is another caution of screening for men.

There are also ethical questions as well as psychosocial risks which include guilt, anxiety, impaired self-esteem, social stigma, and discrimination when it comes to employment or insurance.

You should ask yourself all these questions if you are considering genetic testing for prostate cancer.

References:

https://www.facingourrisk.org/understanding-brca-and-hboc/information/hereditary-cancer/decision_making_testing/basics/genetic-testing-prostate-cancer.php

https://www.urologyhealth.org/patient-magazine/magazine-archives/2018/fall-2018/genetic-testing-for-prostate-cancer-what-you-should-know

https://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition/prostate-cancer

Genetic Testing for Prostate Cancer

Josh Messitte Tailgate Outreach

This is some the trash items I saw on Sunday after the Missouri football game. For my service outreach project, I was part of the tailgate clean up group.

At first, I started at the Legion Pool area and found that a lot of other people were cleaning and it was a little hard to find trash. But as I made my way up the stream towards O-house dining commons, I began to see much more.

Once I reached the most densely populated area in terms of trash, I was very surprised to see not only the amount of cans and trash, but also the obscurity of some of the objects. Objects like broomsticks, tires, etc. We filled 3 trash bags of mostly cans and bottles.

As someone who actively tailgates here, I see trash thrown all over campus on football game days. Greek Park Circle, the area where I currently live is often flooded with cans, cups, and miscellaneous trash on Sundays. But I think my favorite part about this outreach was that we went to a less visited area of campus and got to pick up trash I don’t think would have gotten cleaned if it weren’t for us.

This also showed me that the employees of volunteers that do routinely clean after game days do not get everything, us going out there really does make a difference.

Josh Messitte- Climate Simulation

In the simulation, I played the role of other developing countries. When playing my role, I felt like I was at a disadvantage. The climate issues present in the world today didn’t originate from developing countries, but yet we need still pay the cost. When trying to stand up for ourselves, we often lacked the resources and power to do so effectively. Across the rounds, the way we negotiated changed, but so did my reactions to the situation as a whole. While we were clearly at a disadvantage, my opinions about being at such a disadvantage changed a little when we didn’t have to give anything to the fund, but instead asked for aid. However, it was very clear we were paying reparations for issues we didn’t create when talking to nations like China and like United States. Our group changed our ideas to prioritize forestation efforts for our land made up of rainforest, a crucial part of global carbon removal. This change was prompted by looking at how out protection of the rainforest impacts global emissions and temperature change, While I think it may be hard for a lot of people and it is going to require a worldwide effort, I do think with time emissions can be cut. Costs and barriers in implementing proposals made includes things like the fact that a ton of countries that are still developing, while they make up a large part of emissions, probably can’t realistically cut that many emissions. In the US, we can do every little thing, from carpooling and turning the lights off, to shortening our showers.

Josh Messitte Watershed

In the picture, I see water flowing from underground into a stream at UGA. What really strikes me is that I do not know where this water is coming from. When I look at this picture, I think about the storm drain I saw on the way there labeled “do not dump, drains to river.” I wonder if that drain leads to what I am looking at here. I feel curious when I look at this picture and feel like I, as well as my classmates, should know more about the watershed program so we can help out environment more.

Josh Messitte

2a. I have taken bio and chem in high school, and weather and climate in college.

2b. I liked weather and climate the most, because my professor was great and it was easily relatable to the world around me.

3. Become a fan of biology and be able to recognize biological developments in the modern world.

4. I personally like the tailgate project. I am a UGA tour guide, so I love this campus. I also love football. Especially UGA football. A project like this that integrates helping our campus with football interests me a lot.

5. The service learning aspect of this course will inherently help me learn about civiv engagement. Getting outside the classroom might help me learn how I can reduce bacteria in water samples and help others, etc.

6. I want to learn more biological effects on climate change and how biology will affect my kids and my future.