Research findings differentiate prostate cancer tumors into five different types

the Oncology Nurse Advisor take:

Determining the appropriate course of treatment for prostate cancer can be a challenge for clinicians.

The disease can be slow growing and never cause a problem for a man or it can be an aggressive disease requiring immediate treatment.

Scientists at Cancer Research UK recently found that prostate cancer has five distinct types, and they also found a way to determine which type of tumor a patient has.

The researchers looked for abnormal chromosomes and measured the activity of 100 genes linked to prostate cancer in healthy and cancerous tissue samples from more than 250 men. They were able to group the tumors into five different types, each with its own genetic fingerprint.

The next step is to confirm their findings in larger studies that further explore how each specific type behaves. 

However, the researchers report that their findings could lead to better understanding of the disease and more effective treatment for patients who have aggressive disease.