Prostate cancer genomic signature offers prognostic value

Previous attempts to link prostate cancer progression to genetic alterations have been unsuccessful, and consequently, there is still no reliable predictor of prognosis for men with this disease. A recent study by Taylor et al., published in Cancer Cell, assesses copy number alterations, mutations, and transcriptomes in 218 tumors and 12 prostate cancer cell lines and xenografts. Their analysis identifies frequencies of ERG alterations, 8p loss and 8q gain similar to previous findings. It also reveals novel genetic factors in prostate cancer progression, including the androgen receptor coactivator, NCOA2, which serves as an oncogene in about 11% of tumors, and a deletion at chromosome 3p14, which was associated with TMPRSS-ERG fusion. The copy number alteration data demonstrates six distinct subgroups of prostate cancer with considerable variation in time to biochemical relapse. Classification of prostate cancer into these genetic subgroups may help clinicians predict the likelihood of disease progression in newly diagnosed men, ultimately guiding treatment decisions and therapy development.