A team of researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and the University of Washington has conducted the first comprehensive assessment of every gene in the genome of advanced, lethal prostate cancer. Until now, the genetic composition of such tumors had been poorly defined. In the process, they have discovered a number of potential key drivers – recurrent genetic mistakes – common to advanced prostate cancer that may contribute to disease progression. The researchers also have identified several instances of genetic “hypermutation,” a gross excess of single-letter DNA “spelling errors” that could cause the cancer to become resistant to therapies commonly used to slow the progression of advanced prostate cancer, such as androgen-blocking drugs and surgical castration.
