Integrative biology of prostate cancer progression

Prostate cancer displays considerable clinical, morphological, and biological heterogeneity. Classical genetic techniques have provided only limited information about the pathogenesis of prostate cancer progression. Nevertheless, several candidate genes and pathways have been implicated in prostate cancer development. High-throughput techniques have exponentially expanded the number of candidate genes, including some whose role in prostate cancer pathogenesis has been studied. However, the techniques used to study the prostate cancer genome, transcriptome, and proteome generate massive amounts of data that have yet to be integrated and explored. To move beyond candidate gene identification and develop a comprehensive understanding of cancer pathogenesis, integrative approaches need to analyze this data on a global level. This review addresses candidate genes involved in prostate cancer pathogenesis in a biological and clinical context and demonstrates how integrated analysis of high-throughput data augments our understanding of prostate cancer.