Inherited susceptibility for prostate cancer-family and case-control studies

The clustering of prostate cancer in families was noted by researchers as early as the mid 1950s.1 Over 40 years ago, Woolf reported that deaths due to prostate cancer were three times higher among the fathers and brothers of men dying from prostate cancer than among deceased relatives of men dying from other causes.2 Since then, numerous studies have consistently documented the increased risk of prostate cancer associated with family history. Indeed, along with age and race, family history is among the most consistent prostate cancer risk factors identified to date. This chapter will provide an overview of efforts to understand and characterize the genetic mechanisms underlying inherited susceptibility for prostate cancer.