The risk of developing prostate cancer can be predicted by the relative length of the fingers, British scientists have found. For the period from 1994 to 2009, the authors of the study analyzed data collected from 1,500 patients with prostate cancer and compared it with data collected from 3,000 healthy volunteers. In more than half of the study participants, the index finger was shorter than the ring finger, and in another 19%, the length of both fingers was the same. There was no significant difference in the incidence of prostate cancer among these groups. However, the scientists found that men whose index finger was longer than their ring finger had a 33% higher risk of prostate cancer. Average in study participants under the age of 60, this dependence is even more pronounced, the data show. Testosterone levels are related to finger length in both men and women, but so far only in men do these levels illustrate their individuality. between the length of the index finger and the ring finger depends on the effect of the male sex hormone testosterone during intrauterine development – the higher this level, the shorter the index finger compared to the ring finger. It is known that the risk of prostate cancer also depends on the level of testosterone. Prostate cancer is the third most common cause of fatal cancer in men of all ages and in the leading place among men over 75 years of age. 80% of men over 80 have prostate cancer. Under the age of 40, the disease occurs relatively rarely. The relationship between the length of the fingers and the normal development of the sexual organs can also be traced at the genetic level – both indicators are determined by the genes HOXA and HOXD, responsible for morphogenesis. The results of the study are published in the British Journal of Cancer.