In keeping with these selection criteria for early cancers, the cell lines (and primary tumors they were derived from) had suffered loss of 8p21 (i.e. NKX3.1) but did not display genetic abnormalities typical of more advanced prostate cancers (e.g. loss of PTEN, amplification of MYC and androgen receptor). This evidence concerns the gene NKX3-1 and prostate cancer.