The Molecular Characterization of Ductal Adenocarcinoma of the Prostate

Ductal adenocarcinoma of the prostate is an aggressive subtype that is resistant to standard therapies and is often found coincident with high grade forms of conventional prostate cancer. This proposal characterizes the genetic abnormalities of ductal prostate cancer that is found coincident with conventional prostate cancer, using a number of molecular biology techniques. This study will determine if conventional and ductal prostate cancer are related; that is, if conventional prostate cancer can progress to become a ductal subtype. This work also provides the first catalogue of ductal subtype genetic derangements, laying the groundwork to improve the management of this therapy-resistant disease.