New data, published in Nature, show that forkhead box protein A1 (FOXA1) alterations in prostate cancer can be categorized into three distinct structural classes. Analysis of an aggregate cohort of 1,546 prostate cancers showed that these three classes have a collective incidence of 35% but divergent clinical incidence and genetic co-alteration profiles. Class 1 activating mutations occur early in disease, acquisition of class 2 activating mutations occurs in metastatic disease and class 3 genomic rearrangements are enriched in metastatic prostate cancer. Improved understanding of the mechanisms and the roles of the classes of FOXA1 in the initiation and/or progression of prostate cancer provides a rationale for therapeutic targeting of this transcription factor.
References
Original article
Parolia, A. et al. Distinct structural classes of activating FOXA1 alterations in advanced prostate cancer. Nature 571, 413–418 (2019)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Stone, L. Different FOXA1 classes drive prostate cancer. Nat Rev Urol 16, 508 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41585-019-0223-1
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41585-019-0223-1