TY - JOUR
T1 - Hormone-sensitive prostate cancer
T2 - A case of ETS gene fusion heterogeneity
AU - Attard, G.
AU - Jameson, C.
AU - Moreira, J.
AU - Flohr, P.
AU - Parker, C.
AU - Dearnaley, D.
AU - Cooper, C. S.
AU - De Bono, J. S.
PY - 2008/11/17
Y1 - 2008/11/17
N2 - Fusion of the hormone-regulated gene TMPRSS2 with ERG occurs in 50-70% of prostate cancers; fusions of ETV1 with one of several partners occur in approximately 10% of prostate cancers. These two translocations are mutually exclusive. The presence of subclasses of these chromosomal rearrangements may indicate worse prognosis, with the subclass 2+Edel, which has duplication of TMPRSS2:ERG fusion sequences, indicating particularly poor survival. However as this case shows, significant heterogeneity can exist with ERG and ETV7 rearrangements occurring in both prostate intra-epithelial neoplasia and cancer in the same prostatectomy specimen and with adjacent cancer areas containing a single copy, duplication and even triplication of the rearranged locus. As the majority of ETS gene fusions are hormone regulated, they could explain the pathogenesis underlying exquisitely hormone-sensitive prostate cancer. This is exemplified by the case presented here of a patient diagnosed in 1991 who remains asymptomatic and chemotherapy-naive after having long-lasting tumour responses to multiple lines of systemic hormonal treatments.
AB - Fusion of the hormone-regulated gene TMPRSS2 with ERG occurs in 50-70% of prostate cancers; fusions of ETV1 with one of several partners occur in approximately 10% of prostate cancers. These two translocations are mutually exclusive. The presence of subclasses of these chromosomal rearrangements may indicate worse prognosis, with the subclass 2+Edel, which has duplication of TMPRSS2:ERG fusion sequences, indicating particularly poor survival. However as this case shows, significant heterogeneity can exist with ERG and ETV7 rearrangements occurring in both prostate intra-epithelial neoplasia and cancer in the same prostatectomy specimen and with adjacent cancer areas containing a single copy, duplication and even triplication of the rearranged locus. As the majority of ETS gene fusions are hormone regulated, they could explain the pathogenesis underlying exquisitely hormone-sensitive prostate cancer. This is exemplified by the case presented here of a patient diagnosed in 1991 who remains asymptomatic and chemotherapy-naive after having long-lasting tumour responses to multiple lines of systemic hormonal treatments.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=65849327990&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1136/jcp.2008.061515
DO - 10.1136/jcp.2008.061515
M3 - Article
C2 - 19066166
AN - SCOPUS:65849327990
VL - 62
SP - 373
EP - 376
JO - Journal of Clinical Pathology
JF - Journal of Clinical Pathology
SN - 0021-9746
IS - 4
ER -
