Korean medical researchers have confirmed that hereditary prostate cancer patients with identified genetic mutations, such as BRCA2 and HOXB13, also show a high prevalence of the same mutations in their immediate family members.

Seoul National University Bundang Hospital (SNUBH) announced on Friday that a research team led by Professors Song Sang-hoon and Byun Seok-soo of the hospital’s Department of Urology won the grand prize in the academic paper competition category of the “38th Annual Meeting and General Assembly of the Korean Urological Oncology Society,” held at the Catholic University last Saturday, based on this research.

This research suggests that a screening strategy involving genetic testing of first-degree relatives of hereditary prostate cancer patients is highly effective in identifying high-risk groups for prostate cancer. It is also expected to significantly contribute to establishing guidelines for the prevention and early diagnosis of hereditary prostate cancer in the future.

“Recently, the number of prostate cancer patients has been increasing significantly every year, both overseas and domestically, and genetic mutations such as BRCA2 and HOXB13 have been found to have a major impact,” Professor Song said. “This study highlights the necessity of family-based genetic testing in line with this increasing trend of hereditary prostate cancer.”