Defence of doctoral thesis on epidemiological indicators and genetic characteristics of prostate cancer

On 13 March at 3:00 pm in an open meeting of the Medical Promotion Council of RSU to be held in the Hippocrates Lecture Theatre (16 Dzirciema Street, Riga) Juris Plonis will defend his doctoral thesis “The Analysis of Basic Epidemiology and Genetic Characteristics of Prostate Cancer in Latvia”.

Prostate cancer has become a major health issue on a global scale. An estimated 1.1 million men worldwide have been diagnosed with prostate cancer and this form of cancer ranks fourth in cancer incidence and eighth in cancer mortality (with 307 000 deaths in 2012).

Prostate cancer is highly heterogeneous and its clinical progress, response to therapy and prognosis are directly dependent on its heterogeneous nature.

The scope of the research was to conduct a comprehensive analysis of trends in prostate cancer epidemiology in Latvia from 1990 till 2014 and to perform a genetic analysis of prostate cancer.

The study analyses the epidemiology of prostate cancer, for example, incidence, dynamics and mortality and also the dynamics of prostate cancer stages.

The author of the thesis has identified differences between familial and sporadic prostate cancer, based upon several factors, such as: age, survival rate, disease stage and tumour cell grade.

The research deals with the impact of one mutation (changes in gene) upon the development of prostate cancer (and also breast cancer, ovarian cancer and colorectal cancer) in Latvia.