Overview of research on fusion genes in prostate cancer

Abstract

Fusion genes are known to drive and promote carcinogenesis and cancer progression. In recent years, the rapid development of biotechnologies has led to the discovery of a large number of fusion genes in prostate cancer specimens. To further investigate them, we summarized the fusion genes. We searched related articles in PubMed, CNKI (Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure) and other databases, and the data of 92 literatures were summarized after preliminary screening. In this review, we summarized approximated 400 fusion genes since the first specific fusion TMPRSS2-ERG was discovered in prostate cancer in 2005. Some of these are prostate cancer specific, some are high-frequency in the prostate cancer of a certain ethnic group. This is a summary of scientific research in related fields and suggests that some fusion genes may become biomarkers or the targets for individualized therapies.