Risk of cancer in relatives of prostate cancer probands

Background: It is estimated that there will be more than 244 000 new prostate cancer cases diagnosed and that more than 40 000 men will die of this disease during 1995. Evidence exists for a hereditary predisposition to prostate cancer, but the propor tion of cases attributable to the inheritance of a specific gene or genes is not large. Some hereditary cancer syndromes in volve more than one tumor site, and some studies have reported a familial association between prostate cancer and other cancers. The presence of other cancers in prostate can cer families may indicate a specific type of hereditary predisposition. Purpose: We studied families that were selected because of the presence of prostate cancer to deter mine whether hereditary prostate cancer is associated with cancers at other sites and possibly with other heritable can cer syndromes. Methods: Data from two distinct stud