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We aim to understand, from acquired genetic alterations in tumors, why African American (AA) men are more likely to develop aggressive prostate cancer. By analyzing somatic mutations in 39 genes using deeper next-generation sequencing with an average depth of 2,522 reads for tumor DNA and genomewide DNA copy-number alterations (CNA) in prostate cancer in a total of 171 AA/black men and comparing with those in 860 European American (EA)/white men, we here present several novel findings. First, >35% of AA men harbor damaging mutations in APC, ATM, BRCA2, KDM6A, KMT2C, KMT2D, MED12, ZFHX3, and ZMYM3, each with >1% of mutated copies. Second, among genes with >10% of mutated copies in tumor cells, ZMYM3 is the most frequently mutated gene in AA prostate cancer. In a patient's tumor with >96% frameshift mutations of ZMYM3, we find allelic imbalances in 10 chromosomes, including losses of five and gains of another four chromosomes, suggesting its role in maintaining genomic integrity.Third, when compared to prostate cancer in EA/white men, a higher frequency of CNAs of MYC, THADA, NEIL3, LRP1B, BUB1B, MAP3K7, BNIP3L and RB1, and a lower frequency of deletions of RYBP, TP53, and TMPRSS2-ERG are observed in AA/black men. Finally, for the above genes with higher frequency of CNAs in AA than in EA, deletion of MAP3K7, BNIP3L, NEIL3 or RB1, or gain of MYC significantly associates with both higher Gleason grade and advanced pathologic stage in AA/black men. Deletion of THADA associates with advanced pathologic stage only.Implications: A higher frequency of damaging mutation in ZMYM3 causing genomic instability along with higher frequency of altered genomic regions including deletions of MAP3K7, BNIP3L, RB1, and NEIL3, and gain of MYC appear to be distinct somatically acquired genetic alterations that may contribute to more aggressive prostate cancer in AA/black men.

BackgroundSNP-based polygenic risk scores have recently been adopted in the clinic for risk assessment of some common diseases. Their validity is supported by a consistent trend between their percentile rank and disease risk in populations. However, for clinical use at the individual level, the reliability of score values is necessary considering they are directly used to calculate remaining lifetime risk.ObjectivesWe assessed the reliability of polygenic score values to estimate prostate cancer (PCa), breast cancer (BCa) and colorectal cancer (CRC) risk in three incident cohorts from the UK Biobank (n>500 000).MethodsCancer-specific Genetic Risk Score (GRS), a well-established population-standardised polygenic risk score, was calculated.ResultsA systematic bias was found between estimated risks (GRS values) and observed risks; β (95% CI) was 0.67 (0.58–0.76), 0.74 (0.65–0.84) and 0.82 (0.75–0.89), respectively, for PCa, BCa and CRC, all significantly lower than 1.00 (perfect calibration), p<0.001. After applying a correction factor derived from a training data set, the β for corrected GRS values in an independent testing data set were 1.09 (1.05–1.13), 1.00 (0.88–1.12) and 1.08 (0.96–1.21), respectively, for PCa, BCa and CRC.ConclusionAssessing the calibration of polygenic risk scores is necessary and feasible to ensure their reliability prior to clinical implementation.

Background Germline testing for prostate cancer (PCa) is now recommended by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network. While multi‐gene testing has been proposed, evidence for their association with PCa risk is not well established. Methods We tested associations of pathogenic/likely pathogenic mutations in 10 guideline‐recommended genes (ATM, BRCA1, BRCA2, CHEK2, PALB2, MLH1, MSH2, MSH6, PMS2, and HOXB13) with PCa risk in the UK Biobank, a population‐based cohort. Mutations were annotated based on prostate‐specific transcripts using the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics standards. Associations were tested in 4399 PCa cases and 85,403 unaffected male controls using logistic regression adjusting for age and genetic background. p < .005 was considered significant based on Bonferroni correction. Results Among the 10 tested genes, significantly higher mutation carrier rates in PCa cases versus controls were found for four genes at p < .005; HOXB13, BRCA2, ATM, and CHEK2, with odds ratios (95% confidence interval) estimated at 4.96 (3.62–6.69), 3.23 (2.23–4.56), 2.95 (2.01–4.22), 1.94 (1.43–2.58), respectively. No significant association was found between mutation carrier status and age at PCa diagnosis or family history of PCa. Despite the large sample size of this study, statistical power remains limited, especially for genes where pathogenic mutation carrier rates are extremely rare (<0.03%). Conclusion Observed evidence for PCa risk was found for four of the 10 guideline‐recommended genes in this large population‐based study. Mutations in these four genes can be interpreted with confidence in genetic counseling for PCa risk assessment. Evidence for the remaining six genes needs to be further evaluated in larger studies.

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