A new analysis from the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center found that prostate cancer is more likely to be aggressive in younger men, a population which has seen a nearly six-fold increase in the prevalence of the disease in the last 20 years. The study, which included contributions from Dr. Alexander Tsodikov, professor of biostatistics, found that early onset prostate cancer is the result of a more aggressive subtype often linked to genetic mutations.

[Photo: Dr. Alexander Tsodikov]

“Early onset prostate cancer tends to be aggressive, striking down men in the prime of their life,” says author Dr. Kathleen Cooney. “These fast-growing tumors in young men might be entirely missed by screening because the timeframe is short before they start to show clinical symptoms,” says Dr. Kathleen A. Cooney. The study provides more insight into whether genetic counseling or increased surveillance in younger men with a family history of prostate cancer may be beneficial. The results are published in Nature Reviews: Urology.