A picture with more details is painted for prostate cancer.

B y comparing all gene-coding sequences in the genome between tumors and matched normal samples from clinically localized and castration-resistant (CR) prostate cancer patients, two groups of scientists have recently identified more than 5000 somatic mutations. These findings are important because they add another dimension of somatic DNA alterations in the genome of prostate tumors. Together with other known acquired DNA alterations in prostate tumors such as deletions, amplifications and fusions, they provide insights into the mechanisms of tumorigenesis and cancer progression of this heterogeneous disease. Some of the important findings are highlighted below.