ETS Gene Fusions in Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer

REVIEW ARTICLE

Liao-Yuan Li, Xin Gao and Jun Pang

Affiliation: Department of Urology, The Third Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, P.R. China

ABSTRACT

Castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) indicates patients who no longer respond to surgical or medical castration. It is the main cause of prostate cancer-related mortality in males; however, treatment options still remain limited for these patients. Recently, erythroblast transformation-specific (ETS) gene fusions were found to be the first recurrent translocation described in solid epithelial tumor and has been proposed as a key process in prostate carcinogenesis. The relevance of ETS rearrangements in CRPC remains controversial. In this review, we summarize the detection of ETS gene fusions and their role in CRPC development. We also summarize conflicting data about associations between gene fusion status and patient outcome. Finally, the discovery of ETS gene fusions may provide attractive therapeutic novel targets in CRPC in addition to their potential as specific biomarkers.

Keywords: prostate cancer; castration resistance; ETS gene fusions; targeted therapy

Correspondence: Xin Gao, Department of Urology, The Third Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Tianhe Road 600, Guangzhou 510630, P.R. China. Tel: +86 20 85252175; Fax: +86 20 85252678; e-mail: billurology@126.com