Loss of heterozygosity in chromosomal region 16q24.3 associated with progression of prostate cancer

BACKGROUND. The molecular mechanisms underlying the development and progression of prostate cancer have remained poorly understood. To find out potential genetic markers likely to underlie tumor progression, the pattern of allelic loss on chromosome arm 16q in matched primary, locally recurrent, and metastatic prostate cancer specimens was analyzed in the present study. METHODS. The frequency of loss of heterozygosity (LOH) in 74 tumor specimens (62 primary cancer foci and 12 metastatic tumors) collected from 33 prostate cancer patients was determined by fragment analysis using 17 polymorphic microsatellite markers. RESULTS. The overall frequency of patients showing allelic loss at one or more loci on 16q was 68% (21/31) in primary tumors and 90% (28/31) in recurrent tumors. Of the individual markers, D16S520, locating in region 16q24.3, exhibited a statistically significant development of LOH during disease recurrence (P < 0.01). Regarding distant metastases, instead, there seemed to be no allelic loss events exclusively typical of metastatic tumors at 16q. CONCLUSIONS. The data suggest the location of gene(s) related to prostate cancer progression at 16q24.3. (C) 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc.