A study finds correlations between known genetic characteristics of advanced prostate cancer and clinical outcomes, linking genomics to potentially actionable markers for prostate cancer treatment. Although the landscape of genomic alterations typical of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer has been studied, the links between the alterations and clinical treatment outcomes are unknown. Charles L. Sawyers, Peter S. Nelson, Mark A. Rubin, Arul M. Chinnaiyan, and colleagues collected genomic and transcriptomic information from biopsies of 429 men, a large cohort of genomically characterized patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer, and focused on 18 DNA-based and RNA-based alterations that have been previously hypothesized to influence treatment outcomes. Surprisingly, the authors found that only the loss of the RB1 tumor suppressor gene was significantly correlated with poor survival in men treated with androgen receptor signaling inhibitors. Alteration of TP53 and AR genes were also correlated with duration of response to androgen receptor signaling inhibitor therapy, but not with survival time. The strength of the RB1 association was substantial, and, if confirmed, could help steer such patients to alternative experimental treatments. According to the authors, the clinical utility of other genetic markers will require examination in future large cohorts.
Article #19-02651: "Genomic correlates of clinical outcome in advanced prostate cancer," by Wassim Abida et al.
MEDIA CONTACT: Charles L. Sawyers, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY; tel: 646-888-2138; e-mail: sawyersc@mskcc.org
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Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences