Finger's tell-tale on men's prostate cancer

Would you believe it now? This is quite a breakthrough - why your index finger can tell you a lot about your getting prostate cancer.

How about that?
-----

Finger length predicts prostate cancer risk

PARIS - Men whose index fingers are longer than their ring, or fourth, fingers run a significantly lower risk of prostate cancer, according to a study published Wednesday in the British Journal of Cancer.

The chances of developing the disease drop by a third, and even more in younger men, the study found.

"Our results show that relative finger length could be used as a simple test for prostate cancer risk, particularly in men aged under 60," said Ros Eeles, a professor at the Institute of Cancer Research in Britain and co-author of the study.

Finger pattern could help identify which men should undergo regular screening, especially in combination with genetic testing or other risk factors such as a family history of the disease, she said.

From 1994 to 2009, Eeles and colleagues questioned more than 1,500 prostate cancer patients in Britain, along with 3,000 healthy control cases.

For more than half the men, the index was shorter than the ring finger. Compared to this group, men whose index and ring fingers were the same length -- 19 per cent of the cohort -- had a similar prostate cancer risk.

But when the index finger was longer, the risk of developing the disease dropped by 33 per cent.

Men under 60 were 87 per cent less likely to be in the cancer group.

The relative length of the two fingers in question -- set before birth -- appears to be a marker of different levels of sex hormones to which a baby is exposed in the womb, with less testosterone correlating with a longer index finger.

Earlier research has shown that testosterone promotes the growth of prostate cancer.

Underlying the unexpected connection between digits and cancer are two genes, HOXA and HOXD, that control both finger length and the development of sex organs.

Other studies have found a link between exposure to hormones before birth and the development of other diseases, including breast cancer and osteoarthritis.

- AFP/rl


Taken from ChannelNewsAsia.com; source article is below:
Finger length predicts prostate cancer risk

Related articles

• Finger Length a Clue to Prostate Cancer Risk (webmd.com)
• Finger length points to prostate cancer risk (eurekalert.org)
• Study links finger length to prostate-cancer risk (theglobeandmail.com)
• Study links finger length to prostate cancer risk (calgaryherald.com)
• Is finger length a clue to increased risk of getting prostate cancer? (dailymail.co.uk)
• Finger Length Could Point to Prostate Cancer Risk (aolhealth.com)
• Finger length is a marker for risk of prostate cancer (telegraph.co.uk)
• "Prostate cancer can be known by Finger length" and related posts (topnews.us)
• Study links finger length to prostate cancer risk (reuters.com)

About menopause: Scientists move closer to early menopause test

Would you like to have babies even in old age? This may be a sign of hope...
-----

LONDON: New research into the genetics of early menopause may lead to a simple test that could allow women to make decisions sooner about having children, according to a British study published on Monday.

One in 20 women starts the menopause before the age of 46 - which can affect chances of conceiving as early as a decade beforehand.

The study, by scientists from the University of Exeter and the Institute of Cancer Research, found that four genes working in combination appear to significantly raise the risk of early menopause.

The findings could eventually help identify women at greater risk, allowing them to make earlier decisions about starting a family.

Menopause usually occurs when the number of remaining eggs in the ovary falls below around 1,000. But the factors which determine how quickly the egg reserve depletes are less well understood.

The research, published in Human Molecular Genetics, looked at 2,000 women who had experienced early menopause and a similar number who had entered the menopause at the normal age.

It found that the presence of each of the four genes appeared to have some influence on the timing of the menopause. When more than one of the genes was found in the woman's DNA, the effect was even more pronounced.

"It is estimated that a woman's ability to conceive decreases on average 10 years before she starts the menopause," said Dr Anna Murray, who led the research.

"Therefore, those who are destined to have an early menopause and delay childbearing until their 30s are more likely to have problems conceiving.

"These findings are the first stage in developing an easy and relatively inexpensive genetic test which could help the one in 20 women who may be affected."

Susan Seenan of Britain's Infertility Network, which supports women who are infertile as early as their twenties as a result of early menopause, welcomed the findings.

"It's early days yet, but we would welcome any research that may help women to plan ahead and make earlier decisions about having children," she said.

- AFP/de


From ChannelNewsAsia.com; source article is below:Scientists move closer to early menopause test
-----

Related articles

• Scientists move closer to early menopause test (independent.co.uk)
• Early menopause genes unravelled (bbc.co.uk)
• Genetic test to predict early menopause (eurekalert.org)
• Test could warn of early menopause (guardian.co.uk)
• Genetic test could pinpoint when women will go through the menopause (telegraph.co.uk)
• Genetic test may predict fertility (independent.co.uk)
• Test To Predict Early Menopause Getting Closer (medicalnewstoday.com)
• What Causes Early Menopause? (brighthub.com)
• Using Natural Menopause Treatments to Alleviate Menopause Symptoms, Discussed by Dr. Ershadi (prweb.com)
• Ovaries 'can work again after early menopause' (independent.co.uk)