Metastatic cancer DNA phenotype identified in normal tissues surrounding metastasizing prostate carcinomas

Fourier transform-infrared statistical models have the proven ability to identify subtle structural changes in DNA at various stages of tumor development. Using these models, we show evidence for a metastatic cancer DNA phenotype in histologically normal prostate tissues surrounding metastasizing tumors. Strikingly, the DNA base and backbone structures of the metastatic phenotype are indistinguishable from those of the metastasizing prostate tumors but distinctly different from the structure recently reported for the primary cancer DNA phenotype. These findings suggest that the DNA structure linked to the development of metastasis is preordained in progenitor cells relatively early in multistep tumorigenesis. The substantial structural differences found between the primary and metastatic cancer DNA phenotypes suggest that each evolves through a separate pathway. The metastatic phenotype is potentially an early predictor of metastatic disease. Interventions that inhibit its formation would be expected to also inhibit the development of metastatic tumors.