Apolipoprotein E genotype is not linked to locally recurrent hormone-refractory prostate cancer

Mechanisms of prostate cancer recurrence during androgen deprivation are poorly understood. Recently, the putative role of apolipoprotein E varepsilon 4 allele in the aetiology of prostate cancer was raised. To investigate the hypothesis that varepsilon 4 allele of apolipoprotein E gene predisposes to prostate cancer and is involved in the relapse of hormonal therapy response, 38 hormone-refractory locally recurrent carcinoma samples from 38 prostate cancer patients were screened for apolipoprotein E genotype. The frequency distribution of apolipoprotein E genotypes among tumours did not differ significantly from that among controls. The allele frequency of varepsilon 4 was 19.7% and 19.3% in tumours and controls, respectively. The results suggest that clinical progression of prostate cancer during androgen withdrawal therapy is not associated with apolipoprotein E genotype. Prostate Cancer and Prostatic Diseases (2000) 3, 107-109