Racial Difference in Prostate Cancer Cell Telomere Lengths in Men with Higher Grade Prostate Cancer: A Clue to the Racial Disparity in Prostate Cancer Outcomes

Abstract

Black men have worse prostate cancer outcomes following treatment than White men even when accounting for prognostic factors. However, biological explanations for this racial disparity have not been fully identified. We previously showed that more variable telomere lengths among cancer cells and shorter telomere lengths in cancer-associated stromal (CAS) cells individually and together (“telomere biomarker”) are associated with prostate cancer–related death in surgically treated men independent of currently used prognostic indicators. Here, we hypothesize that Black–White differences in the telomere biomarker and/or in its components may help explain the racial disparity in prostate cancer outcomes.

Document Details

Document Type
Pub Defense Publication
Publication Date
Mar 01, 2020
Source ID
10.1158/1055-9965.epi-19-1462

Entities

People

  • Alan K Meeker
  • Angelo M De Marzo
  • Christine Davis
  • Christopher M Heaphy
  • Corinne Joshu
  • Elizabeth A Platz
  • John R. Barber
  • Karen S Sfanos
  • Reza Zarinshenas
  • Tamara L Lotan

Organizations

  • Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
  • Johns Hopkins University
  • National Cancer Institute
  • Prostate Cancer Foundation
  • United States Department of Defense

Tags

Fields of Study

  • Biology

Readers

  • Housing Policy Studies in Military Families with Privatization and Telomerase Allowance Units, Multi-Family Housing, and Telomere Lengths.
  • Oncology
  • Oncology (Cancer Research).