Prostate Cancer Molecular Subtypes: How Predictive or Prognostic?

Although a number of gene-signature prognostic assays are on the market, their ultimate role in subtyping prostate cancer remains undefined.

Now, investigators have conducted a retrospective analysis using the commercially available PAM50 classifier to subtype 3782 prostate cancer samples, of which 1567 were collected from 6 retrospective cohorts with a median follow-up of 10 years. Samples were classified into luminal A, luminal B, and basal (34%, 29%, and 37%, respectively, in the retrospective group, and 33%, 33%, and 34% in the prospective group). Analysis of the retrospective cohort showed that the luminal B subtype was associated with a higher degree of adverse clinical features and worse clinical outcomes compared with luminal A or ba…