"We are excited, because this is the first study to investigate this class of microRNAs at the epigenetic level in prostate cancer," said Professor Susan Clark.

"The epigenome is a constantly changing set of biochemical modifications that directly impact upon gene expression - and in this case we showed extensive methylation of at least 10 microRNAs involved in prostate cancer, especially miRNA-205."

"Methylation has the effect of silencing a gene, and in this study hypermethylation of miRNA-205 was directly associated with poor prognosis for prostate cancer patients."

"This is a novel finding and we now aim to use this potential translational biomarker to screen a much larger clinical cohort, investigating how it might be used in the management of prostate cancer."