Background: Loss of heterozygosity (LOH) at 13q is one of the most common chromosomal alterations in high-stage prostate cancer, yet little is known about genetic changes in earlier-stage prostate cancer.
Methods: We used five microsatellite markers at 13q14, 21, and 33 to compare LOH frequencies in 51 lesions of high-grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (HGPIN), 21 cases of incidental prostate cancers (IPCs), 31 cases of latent prostate cancers (LPCs), and 102 cases of clinical prostate cancers (CPCs).
Results: The frequency of LOH at 13q with at least 1 marker was 0%, 38%, 56%, and 49% in HGPIN, IPCs, LPCs, and CPCs, respectively. No statistically significant difference was found between the types of prostate cancer. Allelic loss at 13q14 was significantly more frequent in pT4 tumors than in earlier-stage tumors (P=0.011).
Conclusions: Allelic loss at 13q is not only an important event in the metastasis of prostate cancer, but also associated with the initiation of the tumor.
(c) 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc.