GENETIC-ASPECTS OF PROSTATE-CANCER

Despite its high incidence and mortality rate, the molecular mechanism s underlying the oncogenesis and progression of prostate cancer are st ill unclear. This review, based on recently published data, surveys th e current state of knowledge of human prostate oncogenesis, dealing wi th genetic predisposition in familial clusters of prostate cancer, pro viding new information on the somatic genetic alterations, which have been approached in four ways (measurement of DNA content, cytogenetic analysis, in situ hybridization, and molecular analysis), and investig ating the problems of androgen independence and intratumour heterogene ity in prostate tumours. Lastly, the potential clinical applications o f the genetic alterations, which may become important in the near futu re, are addressed.