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A new study led by researchers at Oxford Population Health shows that higher levels of proteins involved in activating and coordinating the immune system were associated with a lower risk of developing prostate cancer. The findings suggest that the body's ability to recognize and respond to abnormal cells may play an important role in the early development of prostate cancer and could point to new approaches for preventing the disease.

The study, published in Nature Communications, is the largest and most comprehensive prospective and genetic analysis of circulating immune and inflammation-related proteins in relation to prostate cancer risk. Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in U.K. men, yet its known risk factors (age, ethnicity, family history and genetics) are nonmodifiable, and there are no established strategies for prevention.

The researchers analyzed blood samples from thousands of men to investigate whether proteins involved in inflammation and immune function were associated with subsequent prostate cancer risk. They examined 368 immune- and inflammation-related proteins using the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC), comparing 1,434 men who developed prostate cancer, on average more than a decade later, with 1,434 similar men who did not.

The researchers also analyzed data from 21,481 UK Biobank male participants, including 1,147 prostate cancer cases, and used genetic approaches to investigate whether the relationships between proteins and prostate cancer were likely to be causal.

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