title: Molecular heterogeneity in prostate cancer: can TP53 mutation unravel tumorigenesis?
abstract: While prostate cancer is the most common malignant visceral neoplasm of men, its etiology remains largely unknown and its clinical course unpredictable. Molecular genetics of prostate cancer has become a fruitful area of investigation and might provide clues to understanding these phenomena. Mutation of the TP53 tumor suppressor gene (encoding the p53 protein) has been commonly reported as a critical event in human carcinogenesis, but recent findings in prostate cancer research call into question the correlation between TP53 mutation and prognosis for patients with this tumor. Whole-mount analysis has begun to address the histologic significance of the focal evolution of TP53 mutation in a pre-existing cancer and to reveal its role throughout the process of tumor progression. This model might also apply to other tumors.
authors.affiliation: Dept of Pathology, University of Southern California School of Medicine, Los Angeles 90033, USA. royburma@zygote.hsc.usc.edu
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Roy-Burman
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.forename: G J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Miller
mesh_terms: D018450:Disease Progression; D018740:Genetic Heterogeneity; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009154:Mutation; D018807:Polymorphism, Single-Stranded Conformational; D011379:Prognosis; D011467:Prostate / Q000473:pathology*; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology*; D013234:Stem Cells; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53