Men whose index fingers are longer than their ring, or fourth, fingers run a significantly lower risk of prostate cancer, according to a study published in the British Journal of Cancer.  The study said the chances of developing the disease drop by a third, and even more in younger men.

Finger pattern could help identify which men should undergo regular screening, especially in combination with genetic testing or other risk factors such as a family history of the disease, said Professor Ros Eeles, of the Institute of Cancer Research, Britain, and co-author of the study.

From 1994 to 2009, Professor Eeles and colleagues questioned more than 1,500 prostate cancer patients in Britain, along with 3,000 healthy control cases.  For more than half the men, the index was shorter than the ring finger.  Compared to this group, men whose index and ring fingers were the same length – 10 per cent of the cohort – had a similar prostate cancer risk.  But when the index finger was longer, the risk of developing the disease dropped by 33 per cent.  Men under 60 were 87 per cent less likely to be in the cancer group.