title: Y chromosome losses are exceedingly rare in prostate cancer and unrelated to patient age.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Loss of the Y chromosome is a frequently reported chromosomal abnormality in many tumor types. This study was undertaken to investigate the frequency of Y chromosome losses and this chromosomal abnormality might play a potential role in prostate cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  A preexisting prostate cancer tissue microarray (TMA) containing samples of 3,261 patients treated by radical prostatectomy with clinical follow-up data was used in this study. TMA sections were analyzed by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) using a dual labeling probe for the centromeres of the X and Y chromosome.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Unequivocal losses of the Y chromosome were seen in only 12 of 2,053 analyzable cases. No significant associations were found between Y loss and patient age, pT stage, and the risk of PSA recurrence. Interestingly, in our study the presence of Y losses was significantly associated with high Gleason grade (P = 0.0034).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Loss of the Y chromosome is a rare event in prostate cancer. Y losses occur in much higher rates in most other cancer types. For this reason, we suggest that the expression of at least one Y chromosome gene is essential for prostate epithelial cells and it is possible that such a gene could represent a suitable target for future therapy of prostate cancer.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Pathology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistrasse 52,20246 Hamburg, Germany. p.stahl@uke.de
authors.forename: Phillip R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Stahl
authors.forename: Adisa
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kilgué
authors.forename: Pierre
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Tennstedt
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Minner
authors.forename: Antje
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Krohn
authors.forename: Ronald
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Simon
authors.forename: Geeske V
authors.initials: GV
authors.lastname: Krause
authors.forename: Jakob
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Izbicki
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Graefen
authors.forename: Guido
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sauter
authors.forename: Thorsten
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Schlomm
authors.forename: Waldemar
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wilczak
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D002503:Centromere / Q000473:pathology; D002872:Chromosome Deletion; D041322:Chromosomes, Human, Y; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D017404:In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011468:Prostatectomy; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D012189:Retrospective Studies