Expected outcomes

Identification of common genetic variants that individually or in combination have moderate but significant influence on the risk of developing prostate or breast cancer. The computational and statistical methods developed in POLYGENE will also have general applicability in other large genome wide association studies on complex human diseases. Software for analysis will be released for public use.

Potential applications

Early diagnosis and treatment are key factors in determining survival of breast and prostate cancer patients. In both diseases, screening programs have led to overdiagnosis and excessive treatment of localized lesions that might never progress to symptomatic cancer. The definition of genetic risk variants may help focus screening towards individuals that have the highest risk of developing these cancers.