Genetic changes in localized prostate cancer of Japanese patients shown by comparative genomic hybridization

To search for additional amplification and deletion sites that may serve as a starting point for the discovery of new oncogenes or tumor suppressor genes, 30 Japanese localized prostate cancers were analyzed by comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) in this study. CGH was used to search for changes in DNA sequence copy-number in a series of 30 primary prostate adenocarcinomas, consisting of 22 cases of pT2N0 (organ confined; without capsular invasion) and 8 cases of pT3N0 (with capsular invasion), removed by radical prostatectomy. CGH revealed that the shortest regions of overlap (SRO) of gains in pT2N0 were at 8q22.2 approximately q24.2, 11q13.1 approximately q14.1, and 12q23 approximately q24.2, whereas the SRO of losses were seen at 8p23.3 approximately p22, 13q21.2 approximately p22, and 18q21 approximately q22. The SRO of gains in pT3N0 were noted at 5q32 approximately q34, 8q22.3 approximately q24.1, 11q14.1 approximately q22.3, and 12q22 approximately q24.2, whereas the SRO of losses were seen at 18q21.2 approximately q23. These results suggest that gains or losses of DNA in these regions are important for prostate cancer progression. The detection of the SRO may serve as a starting point to discover novel oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes involved in prostate cancer progression.