Methods and results: Following immunohistochemical analysis on PCa tissue microarrays with samples from 216 patients, strong/moderate SFRP-2 expression was observed in epithelial cells of benign prostatic hyperplasia, and negative/weak SFRP-2 expression was observed in the majority of tumour epithelia. However, among Gleason grade 5 carcinomas, 40% showed strong/moderate SFRP-2 expression and 60% showed negative SFRP-2 expression in epithelial cells. Further microscopic evaluation of Gleason grade 5 tumours revealed different morphological patterns, corresponding with differential SFRP-2 expression. The first subgroup (referred to as Type A) appeared to have a morphologically solid growth pattern, whereas the second subgroup (referred to as Type B) appeared to have a more diffuse pattern. Furthermore, 100% (4/4) of Type A patients experienced biochemical recurrence, as compared with 0% (0/6) of Type B patients.
Conclusions: These results imply: (i) that there is a loss of SFRP-2 expression from benign to malignant prostate glands; and (ii) differential SFRP-2 expression among two possible subgroups of Gleason grade 5 tumours.
Written by:
O'Hurley G, Perry AS, O'Grady A, Loftus B, Smyth P, O'Leary JJ, Sheils O, Fitzpatrick JM, Hewitt SM, Lawler M, Kay EW. Are you the author?
Department of Pathology, RCSI Education & Research Centre, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland; Beaumont Hospital Prostate Molecular Oncology, Institute of Molecular Medicine, Trinity College Dublin; Department of Laboratory Medicine, Adelaide and Meath incorporating the National Children's Hospital Department of Histopathology, Trinity College Dublin; UCD School of Medicine and Medical Science, Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland; Laboratory of Pathology, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
Reference: Histopathology. 2011 Dec;59(6):1240-1248.
doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2559.2011.04073.x
PubMed Abstract
PMID: 22175903
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