Blood test proteins could signal prostate cancer risk years before diagnosis, Oxford study finds

Distinct proteins linked to aggressive disease found in samples taken more than 15 years before diagnosis

By LineZotpaper AI staff

Published27 October 2026

Read Time2 min

Illustration: Blood test proteins could signal prostate cancer risk years before diagnosis, Oxford study finds

Proteins in men's blood could signal a higher risk of prostate cancer more than 15 years before diagnosis, according to Oxford University researchers, in findings that may eventually improve how the disease is assessed and prevented.

Researchers at the University of Oxford analysed blood samples collected between 1992 and 2000 from more than 2,500 men, comparing baseline samples from 982 men who later developed prostate cancer with 1,573 who did not. The team measured more than 6,000 different proteins in each participant's blood plasma.

Because the samples were taken years before any diagnosis, sometimes more than 15 years, the researchers could look for early chemical warning signs: changes in proteins. Some proteins were linked to a higher overall risk of prostate cancer, while others were associated specifically with aggressive or fast-growing forms of the disease. At the same time, men with higher levels of certain immune-system proteins, such as GZMK and ANXA2, showed a lower long-term risk of prostate cancer, according to the study, published in the journal European Urology.

"Finding proteins linked to known prostate cancer driver genes in blood collected years before diagnosis gives us new insights into the earliest stages of the disease," said Karl Smith-Byrne, corresponding author of the study at Oxford.

"Many prostate cancers grow slowly and may never cause harm, while others are aggressive and can be life-threatening," said Zhe Huang, first author of the study and a postdoctoral epidemiologist at Oxford Population Health. "Ultimately, we hope this will help us understand the biology of aggressive prostate cancer and identify markers that could improve how we assess risk in the future."

The findings are not yet a screening test and need further validation, the researchers noted. Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men in the European Union and second worldwide, after lung cancer, with about 330,000 new cases and about 75,000 deaths a year in the EU alone.

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Analysis

Why This Matters

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men in the European Union and second worldwide, with about 330,000 new cases and 75,000 deaths a year in the EU alone.
The findings point toward markers that could improve risk assessment and distinguish slow-growing tumours from aggressive, life-threatening forms.
The research is at an early stage: it is not yet a screening test and requires further validation before any clinical use.

Background

Prostate cancer spans a wide range, from slow-growing tumours that may never cause harm to aggressive cancers that can be life-threatening, which makes accurate risk assessment a key challenge. The Oxford study is part of a broader effort to find biological markers in blood that reveal the earliest stages of the disease and, potentially, pathways that could be targeted to prevent aggressive forms.

Key Perspectives

Karl Smith-Byrne (corresponding author, Oxford University): says finding proteins linked to known prostate cancer driver genes in blood collected years before diagnosis gives new insights into the earliest stages of the disease, and that together with existing and future genetic evidence, the findings may help identify biological pathways that could be targeted to prevent aggressive prostate cancer.

Zhe Huang (first author, Oxford Population Health): says many prostate cancers grow slowly and may never cause harm while others are aggressive, and hopes the work will help researchers understand the biology of aggressive prostate cancer and identify markers that could improve how risk is assessed in the future.

What to Watch

Whether the protein markers hold up in larger validation studies before any screening approach can be developed.
Whether immune-system proteins such as GZMK and ANXA2 prove reliable indicators of lower long-term risk.
Whether the identified biological pathways lead to targets for preventing aggressive prostate cancer.

Sources

Blood test could reveal prostate cancer risk more than a decade before diagnosis · Euronews

Checked

12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 10 supported.

Show each claim

SupportedBlood proteins could signal prostate cancer risk years before diagnosis, Oxford researchers found.Euronews: “Distinctive proteins in men’s blood can signal a higher risk of prostate cancer more than 15 years before diagnosis, Oxford researchers have found.”
Partly supportedDistinct proteins linked to aggressive prostate cancer were found in samples taken more than 15 years before diagnosis.Euronews: “Because the samples were taken years before any diagnosis, sometimes more than 15 years, the researchers could look for early chemical warning signs — changes in proteins.”
Partly supportedThe findings may eventually improve how prostate cancer is assessed and prevented.Euronews: ““Ultimately, we hope this will help us understand the biology of aggressive prostate cancer and identify markers that could improve how we assess risk in the future.””
SupportedOxford researchers analysed samples collected between 1992 and 2000 from 982 men who later developed prostate cancer and 1,573 who did not.Euronews: “Researchers at Oxford University analysed blood samples collected between 1992 and 2000 from more than 2,500 men. They compared baseline samples from 982 men who went on to develop prostate cancer with those from 1,573 men who did not.”
SupportedThe team measured more than 6,000 proteins in each participant’s blood plasma.Euronews: “The team measured more than 6,000 different proteins in each participant’s blood plasma.”
SupportedSome proteins were linked to higher overall prostate cancer risk, while others were associated with aggressive or fast-growing disease.Euronews: “Some proteins were linked to a higher overall risk of prostate cancer, while others were associated specifically with aggressive or fast-growing forms of the disease.”
SupportedHigher levels of certain immune-system proteins, including GZMK and ANXA2, were associated with lower long-term prostate cancer risk.Euronews: “At the same time, men with higher levels of certain immune-system proteins, like GZMK and ANXA2, showed a lower long-term risk of prostate cancer, according to the study, published in the journal European Urology”
SupportedKarl Smith-Byrne said: “Finding proteins linked to known prostate cancer driver genes in blood collected years before diagnosis gives us new insights into the earliest stages of the disease.”Euronews: ““Finding proteins linked to known prostate cancer driver genes in blood collected years before diagnosis gives us new insights into the earliest stages of the disease,” said Karl Smith-Byrne, corresponding author of the study at Oxford.”
SupportedZhe Huang said: “Many prostate cancers grow slowly and may never cause harm, while others are aggressive and can be life-threatening.”Euronews: ““Many prostate cancers grow slowly and may never cause harm, while others are aggressive and can be life-threatening,” said Zhe Huang, first author of the study and a postdoctoral epidemiologist at Oxford Population Health.”
SupportedZhe Huang said: “Ultimately, we hope this will help us understand the biology of aggressive prostate cancer and identify markers that could improve how we assess risk in the future.”Euronews: ““Ultimately, we hope this will help us understand the biology of aggressive prostate cancer and identify markers that could improve how we assess risk in the future,” Huang said.”
SupportedThe findings are not yet a screening test and need further validation.Euronews: “The findings are not yet a screening test and need further validation, the researchers noted.”
SupportedProstate cancer is the most common cancer among men in the EU and second worldwide after lung cancer, with about 330,000 new cases and about 75,000 deaths a year in the EU.Euronews: “Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men in the European Union and second worldwide, after lung cancer. About 330,000 new cases are diagnosed every year and about 75,000 men die of the disease annually, in the EU alone.”