DNA Signature Linked to Prostate Cancer Severity

From extensive genomic analyses of localized, non-indolent prostate cancer (PrCa), researchers have succeeded to identify differences in mutational profiles between localized intermediate risk and metastatic, castrate-resistant PrCa.

The study, by a team from the Canadian Prostate Cancer Genome Network (CPC-GENE), uncovered a comprehensive set of mutations that can occur in PrCa. By cataloging these mutations, they were able to create a new signature that predicts at an early stage whether a prostate cancer tumor will become aggressive or not, allowing for more precise personalized treatment. The analyses included 200 whole-genome and 477 whole-exome sequences of localized PrCa tumors, and analyses of copy-number alterations, genomic rearrangements, and methylation.


“We hope that this research mode of testing will now go into the clinical mode in the next two to five years, and really change clinical practice for men with prostate cancer in Canada and worldwide,” said study co-leader Dr. Robert Bristow, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre. Study co-leader Dr. Paul Boutros, Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, said, “This work really gives us a map to what is going on inside a prostate cancer cell, and will become the scaffold on which precision therapy will be built.”

“Collaborations like this are key to driving scientific discoveries and ultimately delivering better care for prostate cancer patients,” said Reza Moridi, Ontario Minister of Research, Innovation and Science. Through funding of approximately CAD 20 million (~ USD 15.3 million), research of this magnitude has been made possible through a partnership between the Movember Foundation, Prostate Cancer Canada, and the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, who released a joint statement that included: “From the tireless work of researchers to the selfless giving of donors, we applaud the efforts of everyone who has played a role in helping make CPC-GENE possible. Since its beginnings as an ambitious undertaking that was massive in scope, the goal of this project has been to greatly improve personalized care for men with prostate cancer. The findings […] represent a monumental stride towards that goal.”

The study, by Michael Fraser M et al, was published online January 9, 2017, in the journal Nature.