Prostate cancer is the most common form of cancer among men in Western countries. Studies have detected cancer of the prostate in half of men over 60 years of age, and in about 70% of men over 80 years of age. This shows that the disease is naturally linked to aging.

“Prostate cancer often develops very slowly. For the vast majority, this is a disease that you live well with, without the need for treatment, but some get an aggressive variant with recurrence of cancer even after surgery. The disease behaves very differently from patient to patient. Understanding what makes the cancer aggressive is crucial for better diagnostics and treatment,” says May-Britt Tessem, professor at NTNU.