A combination of three genetic abnormalities has an adverse effect on the lives of patients suffering from prostate cancer, researchers revealed on Wednesday.

Scientists at Britain's Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) have suggested that prostate cancer patients should be diagnosed for specific genetic factors before doctors decide how aggressively to go for the treatment.

The research reflected that there are chances of patients surviving 11 years after diagnosis. Above 80% of those with the favourable outlook survived 11 years while less than 14% of the worst affected patients lived that long.

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer affecting men and also the second biggest reason of male cancer-related deaths across the world, engulfing around 254,000 men every year.

A genetic screening based on the findings could assist doctors to categorize certain men for aggressive early treatment that may not be required by other patients possessing a better prognosis.

All men with malignant cancers had classically aggressive tumours as defined by a measurement called a Gleason score.

The gene responsible is PTEN, which is known to counter cancer, ERG and ETV1. Loss of PTEN and rearrangements of the ERG and ETV1 genes were conventionally believed to be the culprit behind prostate cancer.