Last week in the press there was an article about determining whether one is at risk of developing Prostate Cancer based on the length of your fingers. Below are links to the article on the BBC website and then more information in Fergus Walsh’s medical blog.
BBC News: Index Finger Length Prostate Cancer Clue
Fergus Walsh: Can finger length predict your risk of disease?
The original research from which the articles were written was published in the British Journal of Cancer 2010, November of which I am one of the authors:
Short Communication
Hand pattern indicates prostate cancer risk
1Division of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Nottingham, Queens Medical Centre, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK; 2Health Sciences ResearchInstitute, Warwick Medical School, Warwick University, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK; 3Nottingham Urology Centre, Nottingham University Hospital NHS Trust,Nottingham NG5 1PB, UK; 4Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Glossop Road, Sheff ield S10 2JF, UK; 5School of Biomedical sciences, University of Nottingham, Queens Medical Centre, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK; 6CR-UK Genetic Epidemiology Unit, Strangeways Research Laboratories, Worts Causeway, Cambridge CB1 8RN, UK; 7The Institute of Cancer Research, 15 Cotswold Road, Sutton, Surrey SM2 5 NG, UK; 8Royal Devon and Exeter NHS
Foundation Trust, Barrack Road, Exeter EX2 5DW, UK; 9The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, Downs Road, Sutton SM2 5PT, UK; 10Children’s Brain Tumour Research, Division of Child Health, University of Nottingham, Queens Medical Centre, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK.
BACKGROUND: The ratio of digit lengths is fixed in utero, and may be a proxy indicator for prenatal testosterone levels.
METHODS: We analysed the right-hand pattern and prostate cancer risk in 1524 prostate cancer cases and 3044 population-based
controls.
RESULTS: Compared with index finger shorter than ring finger (low 2D : 4D), men with index finger longer than ring finger (high
2D : 4D) showed a negative association, suggesting a protective effect with a 33% risk reduction (odds ratio (OR) 0.67, 95%
confidence interval (CI) 0.57–0.80). Risk reduction was even greater (87%) in age group o60 (OR 0.13, 95% CI 0.09–0.21).
CONCLUSION: Pattern of finger lengths may be a simple marker of prostate cancer risk, with length of 2D greater than 4D suggestive of lower risk.
