Molecular Underpinnings Governing Genetic Complexity of ETS-Fusion-Negative Prostate Cancer

Abstract

Inter- and intra-patient molecular heterogeneity of primary and metastatic prostate cancer (PCa) confers variable clinical outcome and poses a formidable challenge in disease management. High-throughput integrative genomics and functional approaches have untangled the complexity involved in this disease and revealed a spectrum of diverse aberrations prevalent in various molecular subtypes, including ETS fusion negative. Emerging evidence indicates that SPINK1 upregulation, mutations in epigenetic regulators or chromatin modifiers, and SPOP are associated with the ETS-fusion negative subtype. Additionally, patients with defects in a DNA-repair pathway respond to poly-(ADP-ribose)-polymerase (PARP) inhibition therapies. Furthermore, a new class of immunogenic subtype defined by CDK12 biallelic loss has also been identified in ETS-fusion-negative cases. This review focuses on the emerging molecular underpinnings driving key oncogenic aberrations and advancements in therapeutic strategies of this disease.