Tracking the Origin of Metastatic Prostate Cancer

摘要

Metastatic prostate cancer is a monoclonal disease. We previously failed to identify a common somatic denominator between primary tumor tissue and two lymph-node metastases by exome sequencing [Lindberg J, et al. Eur Urol 2013;63:702-8]. To track the seeding clone we performed copy-number alteration analysis on 34 morphologically distinct tissue areas in one prostatectomy specimen. Using break-point regions to infer phylogenetic relationships, the clone most closely related to the metastases was found in intraductal carcinoma of the prostate. Although the majority of tumor areas harbored events also found in the metastases, three carried none. This emphasizes the importance of intraprostatic tumor heterogeneity for prediction of prognosis. These findings also support recent evidence that intraductal carcinoma is a marker of aggressive disease.