Large-scale genomic copy number variation and gene expression in penile carcinomas.

Abstract

Penile cancer (CP) is a rare neoplasm in developed countries peaked generally in the sixth decade of life, with mean age presentation at 80 years old. Many studies have evaluated the involvement of the neoplasm with Human Papillomavirus (HPV) infection and the correlation between the virus and differential gene and protein expression or different histological types. However, molecular genetic studies are extremely limited and mainly related with protein expression and in a few genes. The microarray procedure involves platforms with thousands of genomic sequences and have been demonstrated a high potential to enhance the molecular biology knowledge in several neoplasias. To the best of our knowledge, there are no studies comparing gene expression profile and genomic alterations (losses, gains or amplifications) using large scale methods. This project was delineated to evaluate gene expression and copy number alterations using oligoarray and CGH-array methodologies, respectively, in a conformable array delineated with the same or similar sequences for the two approaches. Therewith, we intend to determine the most relevant alterations in penile tumors, and compare the findings between two subgroups classified according to presence or absence of HPV infection. The aim of the study is the identification of molecular markers that could result in the reduction of morbidity and mortality caused by this carcinoma.