Abstract 2003: A molecular portrait of potentially curable prostate cancer.
Authors: Fraser Michael E. , de Borja Richard , Trudel Dominique , Harding Nicholas J. , Hennings-Yeomans Pablo H. , Meng Alice , Lalonde Emilie R. , Brown Andrew , Fox Natalie S. , Chong Taryne , Zia Amin , Sam Michelle , Wang Jianxin , Chan-Seng-Yue Michelle A. , Johns Jeremy , Timms Lee , Buchner Nicholas , Wong Ada , Yousif Fouad , Denroche Rob , Zafarana Gaetano , Starmans Maud HW , Chen Hanbert , Govind Shaylan , Nguyen Francis , Pintilie Melania , Fleshner Neil , Volik Stanislav , Muthuswamy Lakshmi , Collins Colin C. , Hudson Thomas J. , Stein Lincoln D. , Beck Timothy , McPherson John D. , van der Kwast Theodorus , Boutros Paul C. , Bristow Rob G. 
Published: August 2014

Intermediate risk prostate cancer (CaP) with Gleason score (GS) of 7 show up to 100x variability in genetic instability. As CaP is multifocal and likely multiclonal, there is a need to characterize heterogeneity for patient stratification, which would increase the ability to act on genomic information by adding adjuvant therapies to offset systemic occult metastases that currently limit cure in ∼30% of patients. Individual genetic portraits could be used to improve cure on combined clinical-molecular staging criteria.

We undertook a pilot study to assess the genetic heterogeneity of potentially curable GS=7 CaP. We selected 10 men with GS=7 CaP; 5 treated with external beam radiotherapy (frozen pre-treatment biopsies) and 5 treated with radical prostatectomy (RadP, frozen tumour). Additionally, DNA from 18 distinct formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) foci from the 5 RadP were analysed. Each of these 28 foci were subjected to whole-genome sequencing (WGS) and OncoScan SNP arrays to yield comprehensive genetic profiles. mRNA expression was evaluated on frozen RadP by microarray. Germline DNA from whole-blood was also analysed.

Following independent pathology reviews and manual macro-dissection of tumour areas of ≥70% cellularity, WGS (≥50x tumour, ≥30x germline) was performed on as little as 50 ng genomic DNA, and OncoScan arrays were performed using as little as 30ng DNA using either amplified or innate genomic DNA. Regions of CaP in FFPE RadP were recorded using a tissue map to identify independent malignant foci, and ERG immunostaining was performed to assist in the identification. In cases where ERG-positive and -negative foci were adjacent, ERG staining was repeated on an un-stained slide to confirm separate foci based on 3D multi-section analyses. ERG fusion status was also assessed in frozen samples by aCGH or IHC.

Validation of SNVs via SNP array and deep-resequencing showed ∼99% accuracy. Tumour cellularity was estimated using Qpure and was &gt;60% for all samples. Phylogenetic techniques were used to demonstrate clear multi-clonality in two tumours. Across all tumours, ∼50% of SNVs were specific to an individual tumour-region. Phylogenies were confirmed with both SNVs and CNAs, but CNAs generally exhibited greater concordance amongst different regions of the same tumour. Some previously observed recurrent mutations were previously identified as recurrent in CaP (e.g. SPOP), and the overall mutation rate for intermediate-risk CaP was only somewhat below that reported for castrate-resistant disease (11,230 somatic SNVs per tumour).

Our studies support the concept that a complete characterization of inter- and intra-CaP heterogeneity is possible in fresh and archival tissues; the latter is important for correlations to clinical outcome. These approaches can then be streamlined for high-throughput analyses within personalized medicine laboratories leading to “point of care” molecular tests and individualization of therapy.

Citation Format: Michael E. Fraser, Richard de Borja, Dominique Trudel, Nicholas J. Harding, Pablo H. Hennings-Yeomans, Alice Meng, Emilie R. Lalonde, Andrew Brown, Natalie S. Fox, Taryne Chong, Amin Zia, Michelle Sam, Jianxin Wang, Michelle A. Chan-Seng-Yue, Jeremy Johns, Lee Timms, Nicholas Buchner, Ada Wong, Fouad Yousif, Rob Denroche, Gaetano Zafarana, Maud HW Starmans, Hanbert Chen, Shaylan Govind, Francis Nguyen, Melania Pintilie, Neil Fleshner, Stanislav Volik, Lakshmi Muthuswamy, Colin C. Collins, Thomas J. Hudson, Lincoln D. Stein, Timothy Beck, John D. McPherson, Theodorus van der Kwast, Paul C. Boutros, Rob G. Bristow. A molecular portrait of potentially curable prostate cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 2003. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-2003