Oxford: 12 Blood Proteins Linked to Prostate Cancer

Blood drawn years before a diagnosis carries traces that can be linked to later prostate cancer, according to research by the Oxford Population Health team at the University of Oxford. The study was published on October 21, 2026 in the journal European Urology (DOI 10.1016/j.eururo.2026.08.014) and was also presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG). Of more than 6,000 proteins measured, 12 are linked to prostate cancer diagnosed more than 15 years after the blood was taken, and 7 to the aggressive form of the disease.

How was the study carried out?

The researchers analyzed blood samples from 982 men who later developed prostate cancer and 1,573 randomly selected men from the European EPIC study (European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition). They measured more than 6,000 proteins in each sample and followed the participants for about 16 years. The authors describe the work as the largest population study to date of blood proteins and future prostate cancer risk, with a focus on aggressive forms.

The research was partly funded by the British charity Cancer Research UK. The first author is Dr. Zhe Huang, a postdoctoral epidemiologist at Oxford Population Health, and the senior author is Professor Karl Smith-Byrne.

Which proteins stood out?

Among the twelve proteins linked to disease diagnosed more than 15 years later is GZMK, a protein made by immune cells that recognize and destroy abnormal cells. The authors read this as a possible sign that immune processes help keep prostate cancer in check long before diagnosis.

Seven proteins were linked to aggressive prostate cancer. The protein ANKRD1 was consistently tied to several severe forms, including cancer that had spread or ended in death. The findings also pointed to the processes by which cancer cells communicate with surrounding tissue, and to the formation of new blood vessels.

The team also found links to proteins from the genes ERBB3, KRAS and NRAS, which are already known in prostate cancer. These were associated with aggressive disease diagnosed about ten years later. The authors stress that this does not mean cancer was already present when the blood was drawn.

Huang explained in a University of Oxford statement why aggressive forms are examined separately:

“Prostate cancer is not one disease. Many prostate cancers grow slowly and may never cause harm, while others are aggressive and can threaten life.”

Smith-Byrne said what the finding on known genes could bring:

“Finding proteins linked to known genes that drive prostate cancer, in blood collected years before diagnosis, gives us new insights into the earliest stages of the disease. Together with existing and future genetic evidence, these findings may help us identify biological pathways that could be targeted to prevent aggressive prostate cancer.”

Huang also set out what the authors hope for:

“By measuring thousands of proteins in blood collected years before diagnosis, we can begin to explore how men who later develop aggressive prostate cancer differ from those who do not. Ultimately, we hope this will help us understand the biology of aggressive prostate cancer and identify markers that could improve risk assessment in the future.”

What does this research not prove?

The results did not rest on a single analysis. The researchers compared them with other large population studies and genetic data, and several findings were confirmed that way, though not all. Most of the links are moderate, so the proteins are not yet ready for a clinical test. New studies are needed to show whether they could improve prediction of clinically significant prostate cancer.

This is an association, not a cause: the study does not show that these proteins cause cancer, or that a blood test can already detect them reliably today. The research continues through the Prostate Cancer Aetiology and Prevention Programme (PCAP), which is also led by Professor Ruth Travis and is funded by Cancer Research UK.