London: Uk scientists have identified seven pieces of “rogue DNA” which could put men at increased risk of prostate cancer.

Theese genetic flaws are so common that it is thought every man has at least one.

Currently men are screened for higher than normal levels of a protein known as Prostate Specific Androgen (PSA) but the results are not always accurate.

The British researchers, whose work was funded by Cancer Research UK, are developing a genetic test , which will look for 12 flaws, but it may be more than three years before it is publically available. Lead researcher Dr Ros Eeles, of the Institute of Cancer Research in London,said the team’s discovery of the seven pieces of rogue DNA – the most prostate cancer ‘hotspots’ identified in a single study – could lead to the development of new drugs.

‘These exciting results will help us to more accurately calculate the of developing prostate cancer and may lead to the development of better targeted screening and treatment,’ she said.