A study looking at risk factors for prostate cancer - The Birmingham Prostate Cancer Association Study of environmental and genetic factors in prostate cancer (BiPAS)

Please note this trial is no longer recruiting patients.

This study is looking at lifestyle and genetic factors that may increase risk of prostate cancer. There are a few things that we know are risk factors for prostate cancer. But we need more research to get a better understanding.

In this study, the researchers hope to find, and learn more about, possible risk factors such as diet, physical activity, exposure to the sun and your occupation. They hope they will find genes that increase the risk of developing prostate cancer.

The researchers also want to compare prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels between men diagnosed with prostate cancer and men who don’t have prostate cancer. They hope to learn more about how good the PSA test is as a way of screening for prostate cancer.

The aim of this study is to increase our understanding of what causes prostate cancer. Please note you won’t get any direct benefit from taking part in this study, nor will it affect any treatment you have.

Recruitment

Start 29/03/2007

End 01/10/2010

Phase

Other

Who can enter

You can enter this trial if you

Are male and at least 50 years old
Are attending the Urology Department at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham because you have urinary symptoms OR your GP has invited you to take part as a man who does not have prostate cancer (only a small number of GPs in the Birmingham area are involved)

Trial design

The study will recruit about 2,000 men. Some of the men who take part in the study will have prostate cancer. The researchers will also recruit a number of men who do not have prostate cancer to study as a comparison. This is known as a control group.

Your hospital doctor, a research nurse at the hospital, or your GP will invite you to join this study. If you agree to take part, they will ask you to sign a consent form and to complete a questionnaire about your background, health and lifestyle. This should take about 45 minutes to fill in. The researchers will also ask your permission to look at your medical records.

You will give a small sample of blood. If you join the trial at the hospital, the researchers will use the sample to look at your DNA to try and find genes that may increase risk of developing prostate cancer. The blood sample will be stored safely and may be used in the future for research purposes only.

If you join the trial at your GP surgery, you will be in the control group.

The researchers will look at the level of PSA in your blood sample but they will not do any DNA tests.

Hospital visits

If you join the trial at the time you attend the urology department, taking part does not involve any extra hospital visits.

If your GP invites you to join the control group of the trial, you will have an extra appointment at the surgery to have the blood test and fill in the questionnaire. The appointment will take about an hour. If your blood test shows that you have an unexpectedly high level of PSA, your GP may want you to have more tests or refer you to the hospital.