IDENTIFICATION OF A MAJOR SUSCEPTIBILITY LOCUS FOR PROSTATE CANCER Prostate cancer is one of the most commonly diagnosed forms of cancer in men in the United States. After lung cancer, this tumor is the second most common cause of cancer-related deaths and accounts for 40,000 deaths in the United States. Various studies have provided evidence that certain forms of prostate cancer exhibit a familial clustering. In the cancer cells of the prostate, loss of DNA sequences has been found in the short arm of chromosome 8 and the logn arm of chromosome 13. Duplication of DNA has been found in the distal long arm of the chromosome 8. Linkage analysis demonstrated presence of at least 1 dominant susceptibility locus. In the Nov 22, issue of Science, Smith et al report suggests that such a locus exists on chromosome 1 (1q24-25). If such a linkage can be proven, this locus will be designated HPC1 (herditary prostate cancer 1). Such information will be useful in identification of genes that are involved in predisposing individuals to prostate cancer. REFERENCE: Jeffrey R. Smith, Diha Freije, John D. Carpten, * Henrik Grönberg, Jianfeng Xu, Sarah D. Isaacs, Michael J. Brownstein, G. Steven Bova, Hong Guo, Piroska Bujnovszky, Deborah R. Nusskern, Jan-Erik Damber, Anders Bergh, Monika Emanuelsson, Olli P. Kallioniemi, Jennifer Walker-Daniels, Joan E. Bailey-Wilson, Terri H. Beaty, Deborah A. Meyers, Patrick C. Walsh, Francis S. Collins, Jeffrey M. Trent, William B. Isaacs: Major Susceptibility Locus for Prostate Cancer on Chromosome 1 Suggested by a Genome-Wide Search Science,274,1371-1374, 1996 RESOURCES: Prostate cancer infoLink WellnessWeb-The Patient's Network The Natural History of Prostate Cancer Hollings Prostate Cancer Center Prostate Cancer Services at University of Michigan Cedars-Sinai Comprehensive Cancer Center: Prostate Cancer Services University of Cincinnati College of Medicine CancerNet from the National Cancer Institute The Management of Localized Prostate Cancer: A Patient's Guide DATABASE LINKS: