A new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences may lead to exciting discoveries regarding prostate cancer. By analyzing samples of prostate cancers scientists discovered that 27% of them contained xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related virus (XMRV). XMRV is a virus that is known to cause leukemia and tumors in animals. Even though it has been found in association with human prostate cancer, there’s not evidence that it is the specific cause of the disease. However, it is an important question that needs to be answered. Another well-known virus that can cause human cancers is the human papilloma virus (HPV). Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer among men, after lung cancer, killing approximately 250,000 men annually. [via ABC News]
Share your comments here.
Follow us on Twitter
Become a fan on Facebook
Dr. Steven Chang, the author of DailyDose, is a staff physician with Kosmix RightHealth. Dr. Chang practices Family Medicine at the University of California Davis Medical Center, where his medical interests include both pediatric and geriatric care, public health, gay and lesbian health, and sleep medicine. Dr. Chang trained at the Stanford University affiliated O'Connor Hospital, and was a research fellow at the National Institute of Health. He holds an M.D. from McGill University and a BA in Public Health from Johns Hopkins University.