Counting alleles in single lesions of prostate tumors from ethnically diverse patients.
BACKGROUND
The presence of racial disparities in incidence and mortality rates are well-documented for prostate cancer. Nevertheless, it is unclear whether such disparities are due to genetic alterations that are involved in prostate cancer initiation. Here, we evaluated chromosome 8p allelic loss in a racially diverse cohort.


METHODS
Laser-capture microdissection was used to isolate tumors cells from individual lesions in 153 prostate cancer patients, and 8p allelic status was determined by "counting alleles." Statistical analyses examined the association between pathologic predictors and biochemical recurrence.


CONCLUSIONS
Thirty percent of prostate lesions were missing an 8p allele at tumor initiation, while 51% of lesions lost an 8p allele during tumor progression. Biochemical recurrence after radical prostatectomy could be reliably predicted by surgical margin status only in lesions with extensive 8p allelic loss. There was, however, no racial disparity in 8p allelic loss at tumor initiation or during tumor progression, suggesting that the molecular event involved was similar between Caucasians and Africa Americans (CA and AA). Nonetheless, racial differences were present in values of prognostic factors for recurrence. Gleason score was the most important predictor of recurrence (HR=3.1, 95% CI=1.1, 9.2) in AA, while among CA, pathologic stage (HR=3.3, 95% CI=1.5, 7.6) and surgical margin (HR=4.7, 95% CI=1.8, 12.6) were the most important. Therefore, racial disparity in prostate cancer may be due to other factors that are involved in prostate cancer development.
Morikawa
Aki
A
Emory University School of Medicine, Winship Cancer Institute, Atlanta, Georgia 30322, USA.
Varma
Vijay
V
Gillespie
Theresa W
TW
Lyles
Robert H
RH
Goodman
Michael
M
Bostick
Roberd M
RM
Mandel
Jack S
JS
Zhou
Wei
W
D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American; D000368:Aged; D000483:Alleles; D002898:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 8; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000097:blood / Q000208:ethnology / Q000235:genetics*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D011446:Prospective Studies; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen / Q000097:blood; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000208:ethnology / Q000235:genetics*; D014728:Veterans; D044465:White People
D004273:DNA, Neoplasm; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen