title: Association of TMPRSS2-ERG gene fusion with clinical characteristics and outcomes: results from a population-based study of prostate cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The presence of the TMPRSS2-ERG fusion gene in prostate tumors has recently been associated with an aggressive phenotype, as well as recurrence and death from prostate cancer. These associations suggest the hypothesis that the gene fusion may be used as a prognostic indicator for prostate cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this study, fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) assays were used to assess TMPRSS2-ERG fusion status in a group of 214 prostate cancer cases from two population-based studies. The FISH assays were designed to detect both fusion type (deletion vs. translocation) and the number of fusion copies (single vs. multiple). Genotyping of four ERG and one TMPRSS2 SNPs using germline DNA was also performed in a sample of the cases (n = 127).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 214 tumors scored for the TMPRSS2-ERG fusion, 64.5% were negative and 35.5% were positive for the fusion. Cases with the TMPRSS2-ERG fusion did not exhibit reduced prostate cancer survival (HR = 0.92, 95% CI = 0.22-3.93), nor was there a significant difference in cause-specific survival when stratifying by translocation or deletion (HR = 0.84, 95% CI = 0.23-3.12) or by the number of retained fusion copies (HR = 1.22, 95% CI = 0.45-3.34). However, evidence for reduced prostate cancer-specific survival was apparent in those cases whose tumor had multiple copies of the fusion. The variant T allele of the TMPRSS2 SNP, rs12329760, was positively associated with TMPRSS2-ERG fusion by translocation (p = 0.05) and with multiple copies of the gene fusion (p = 0.03).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  If replicated, the results presented here may provide insight into the mechanism by which the TMPRSS2-ERG gene fusion arises and also contribute to diagnostic evaluations for determining the subset of men who will go on to develop metastatic prostate cancer.
authors.affiliation: Division of Public Health Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, 1100 Fairview Ave N., Seattle, WA 98109, USA. lfitzger@fhcrc.org
authors.forename: Liesel M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: FitzGerald
authors.forename: Ilir
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Agalliu
authors.forename: Karynn
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: Melinda A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: Erika M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Kwon
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hurtado-Coll
authors.forename: Ladan
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Fazli
authors.forename: Ashish B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Rajput
authors.forename: Martin E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Gleave
authors.forename: Michael E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Cox
authors.forename: Elaine A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Ostrander
authors.forename: Janet L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Stanford
authors.forename: David G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Huntsman
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D017404:In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence; D008297:Male; D046228:Microarray Analysis; D008875:Middle Aged; D050596:Oncogene Fusion; D015514:Oncogene Proteins, Fusion / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology*; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D011468:Prostatectomy; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D015514:Oncogene Proteins, Fusion; C515553:TMPRSS2-ERG fusion protein, human