Testing for inherited mutations could benefit men with advanced prostate cancer

Inherited mutations in genes that function to repair DNA may contribute to metastatic prostate cancer more than previously recognized, according to a study out today in the New England Journal of Medicine. Though infrequent in the general population, inherited mutations in specific types of DNA repair genes, such as BRCA1 and BRCA2, are known to predispose to prostate cancer. However, the rate of such mutations in men with metastatic prostate cancer previously was unknown.