Genomic sequencing of tumors from Black men reveals differences across common cancers, including prostate cancer

Cancer genomes from Black patients have been poorly studied. A Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center study examining deep genomic sequencing of 333,908 tumor samples (including breast, colorectal, non-small cell lung, pancreatic, or prostate tumors) and 64,173 paired tumor-normal samples, including 32,865 samples from Black patients.

The researchers leveraged two large genomic cohorts to investigate the relationship between genomic alterations and African ancestry in these commoncancers. They identified cross-cancer type associations, including a greater tumor mutation burden and an enrichment of MYC amplifications that are associated with a worse prognosis among Black patients with lung, breast, and prostate cancers that may partially explain the worse outcomes in Black patients.

Also, among the Black prostate cancer patients, they found a higher frequency of abnormal DNA mismatch repair genes, such as MLH1, MSH2, MSH6 & PMS2 that are associated with an increased risk of prostate and several other types of cancer.

Additionally, they found that Black prostate cancer patients had more alterations that could be susceptible to targeting in studies to develop new drugs, called “actionable” alterations, such as CDK12 and the NTRK3 fusion.

These results indicate that genomic research studies should enroll more Black men.

Jiagge E, et al Cancer Cell. 2023;41(11):1963- 1971.e3. doi:10.1016/j.ccell.2023.10.003