Overview
- A UK-led team analysed blood taken years before diagnosis from 2,555 people in the EPIC cohort and measured more than 6,000 proteins to find markers tied to later prostate cancer.
- They report a set of 12 proteins associated with future prostate cancer risk, seven of which were linked specifically to aggressive forms of the disease.
- Key proteins highlighted include ANKRD1, associated with cancers that spread, and GZMK, an immune-cell protein, suggesting immune processes and known cancer drivers may play roles long before diagnosis.
- Authors and funders stress the findings are associative, not proof that cancer was present at sampling, and say the proteins are not ready for clinical tests without independent replication and evaluation of predictive value.
- Next steps include follow-up studies through the PCAP programme and other cohorts to test whether the markers improve risk prediction and could inform targeted screening or prevention strategies if validated.