Dr Gleason's depiction of the five Gleason grades of prostate
cancer. Grade 1 appears on the far left and grade 5 on the far right.
From: Gleason DF. The Veteran's Administration Cooperative Urologic
Research Group: histologic grading and clinical staging of prostatic
carcinoma.
In Tannenbaum M (ed.) Urologic Pathology: The Prostate. Lea
and Febiger, Philadelphia, 1977; 171-198.
Description: Our goal is to examine the role of genes
involved in inherited susceptibility to prostate cancer, including
those that regulate the metabolism of environmental carcinogens and
steroid hormones in prostate cancer etiology. These genes include the
HPC2 gene found on Chromosome 17, cytochromes P450 (e.g. CYP3A4),
androgen metabolism genes (e.g., 5-alpha reductase type II), and the
mu or theta classes of the glutathione-S-transferases. Three specific
aims are proposed to accomplish this objective. First, the
relationship of each of the candidate genes and the occurrence or age
of onset of prostate cancer is being examined. However, it is unlikely
that any single gene will be sufficient to account for the complex
etiology of prostate cancer. Therefore, the relationship between
multiple candidate genes and the occurrence or age of onset of
prostate cancer is being examined. It is also likely that endogenous
environments and/or exogenous exposures play a significant role in
modifying the effects of these genes in prostate cancer
risk. Therefore, the interactions of multiple candidate genes,
environments, and exposures is being examined.
Primary Collaborators: B. Malkowicz, A. Wein (U. of Pennsylvania)
Funding: Public Health Service Grants R29-ES08031, R01-CA58671