Genetic clues link lipoprotein A to prostate cancer risk
UK Biobank and other data identifies genetic variants linked to high lipoprotein A levels and high prostate cancer risk
Date:
January 27, 2022
Source:
PLOS
Summary:
A new analysis has uncovered a potential link between higher
prostate cancer risk and genetic variants associated with higher
bloodstream levels of the cholesterol-transporting molecule
lipoprotein A.
FULL STORY ==========================================================================
A new analysis has uncovered a potential link between higher prostate
cancer risk and genetic variants associated with higher bloodstream levels
of the cholesterol-transporting molecule lipoprotein A. Anna Ioannidou
of Imperial College London, U.K., and colleagues present these findings
in the open-access journal PLOS Medicine.
==========================================================================
Some factors associated with higher risk of prostate cancer cannot be
modified, such as older age and being of African descent. Meanwhile, other
risk factors for the aggressive form of the disease, such as smoking and obesity, can potentially be modified. Previous research suggests that
higher blood levels of lipids might also be associated with increased
risk. If so, lipid-lowering drugs could theoretically reduce prostate
cancer risk. However, the existing evidence for associations between
blood lipids and prostate cancer has been inconclusive.
To better understand these possible associations, Ioannidou and colleagues analyzed links between prostate cancer risk and several blood lipids:
namely, lipoprotein A, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, and apolipoproteins A and B. They
drew on two large research initiatives, U.K. Biobank and the PRACTICAL consortium, in order to analyze genomic and prostate cancer-risk data
for hundreds of thousands of individuals.
The study employed a method known as Mendelian randomization, which
harnesses the inherent randomness of the genetic process of meiosis to
boost the validity of an analysis. So, instead of considering direct measurements of lipids in the bloodstream, the researchers evaluated
variations in individuals' DNA sequences that are associated with
different blood levels of the lipids. Then, they analyzed if these
genetic variants were statistically linked to prostate cancer risk.
The analysis showed that genetic variants that predict higher blood levels
of lipoprotein A were associated with a higher overall risk of prostate
cancer, and also a higher risk of advanced or early-age-onset prostate
cancer. The researchers did not find any significant associations for
any of the other blood lipids.
These findings suggest the possibility that lipoprotein A-lowering
drugs could be developed or repurposed to lower risk of prostate
cancer for some individuals. More research will be needed to confirm
the associations observed in this study and to clarify the underlying biological mechanisms.
The authors add, "Our study suggests that individuals with higher
lipoprotein A blood levels, which is a protein that transports cholesterol
in the blood, may have a greater risk of developing prostate cancer." ========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by PLOS. Note: Content may be edited
for style and length.
========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Anna Ioannidou, Eleanor L. Watts, Aurora Perez-Cornago, Elizabeth A.
Platz, Ian G. Mills, Timothy J. Key, Ruth C. Travis, Konstantinos K.
Tsilidis, Verena Zuber. The relationship between lipoprotein A and
other lipids with prostate cancer risk: A multivariable Mendelian
randomisation study. PLOS Medicine, 2022; 19 (1): e1003859 DOI:
10.1371/ journal.pmed.1003859 ==========================================================================
Link to news story:
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/01/220127141613.htm
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