Genetic changes in familial prostate cancer by comparative genomic hybridization

BACKGROUND. Germline mutations in recessive cancer predisposition genes are uncovered by somatic genetic deletions during tumor development. Analysis of genetic changes in tumor tissues from patients with an inherited predisp osition may therefore highlight regions of the genome containing susceptibi lity or modifier genes. Our aim was to characterize genetic changes in fami lial prostate cancer. METHODS. Twenty-one primary prostate cancers from 19 Finnish prostate cance r families were analyzed for somatic genetic changes by comparative genomic hybridization (CGH). RESULTS. The average number of genetic alterations per tumor was 4.0 +/- 1. 9, distributed equally among losses and gains. The most common losses were found at chromosomal regions 13q14-q22 (29%), 8p12-pter (24%), and 6q13-q16 (14%), and the most common gains at 19p (25%), 19q (14%) and 7q (14%). CONCLUSIONS. These results suggest that prostate cancers in genetically pre disposed individuals arise for the most part through similar somatic geneti c progression pathways as sporadic prostate cancers. This also implies that the biological properties of tumors from the two groups may not be differe nt from one another. (C) 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.