Allelic imbalance and biochemical outcome after radical prostatectomy

Objective: To compare the incidence of allelic imbalance ( AI) in men with rapid disease progression with those who remained disease free after radical prostatectomy, with the aim of identifying genetic markers to predict prognosis and guide further treatment. Patients and methods: Tumour and normal DNA were extracted from two matched groups of 31 men with extracapsular node-negative (pT3N0) prostate cancer who had undergone radical prostatectomy. One group comprised men who developed biochemical recurrence within 2 years of surgery and one group were prostate-specific antigen (PSA) free for at least 3 years. Men were matched for Gleason grade, preoperative PSA and pathological stage. Analysis was performed by genotyping. Results: Allelic imbalance was analysed using 30 markers, and was seen in at least one marker in 57 (92%) of the cases. Deletion at marker D10S211 (10p12.1) was significantly more common in the relapse group than the non-relapse group ( 35 vs 5%, P = 0.03). Conclusions: This study demonstrates significant association between AI on chromosome 10 and biochemical progression after radical prostatectomy.