Increased expression of putative cancer stem cell markers in primary prostate cancer is associated with progression of bone metastases.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

A number of putative stem cell markers have been associated with aggressiveness of prostate cancer, including alpha 2 and alpha 6 integrin and c-met. The study aimed to test the hypothesis that the development of bone metastasis correlates with the proportion of prostate cancer stem cell-like cells present in the primary tumor.

METHODS:

Prostate tissue samples were obtained from patients with high-risk prostatic adenocarcinoma. Prostate cancer tumor tissue samples underwent immunohistochemical staining for alpha 2 and alpha 6 integrin and c-met; positive and negative controls were included. Samples were scored as positive if >5% of cells within the sample stained positively. Survival and bone metastasis-free survival curves on the patient cohort were estimated by the actuarial method of Kaplan-Meier.

RESULTS:

A total of 62 patients were included in the study. Bone metastases progression rate was 46% at 105 months with a median time of 46 months (95% CI: 1-62.5 months); prostate cancer-specific survival was 33% at 122 months with a median survival time of 69.4 months (95% CI: 63.5-109.4 months). Survival curves show that c-met-, alpha 2, and alpha 6 integrin-positive tumors were positively associated with the occurrence of bone metastasis-free survival. There was a higher level of significance when at least c-met and either alpha 2 or alpha 6 integrin was positive.

CONCLUSION:

It can be concluded that percentage of stem cell-like prostate cancer cells has a prognostic impact especially on the risk of metastatic bone progression.

• Authors: Marc Colombel, Colby L Eaton, Freddy Hamdy, Estelle Ricci, Gabri van der Pluijm, Marco Cecchini, Florence Mege-Lechevallier, Philippe Clezardin, George Thalmann
• Journal: The Prostate (Prostate) Vol. 72 Issue 7 Pg. 713-20 (May 15 2012) ISSN: 1097-0045 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 21882211 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)
• Copyright: Copyright © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Chemical References

• Biomarkers, Tumor
• Integrin alpha2
• Integrin alpha6
• Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-met

Topics

• Adenocarcinoma (metabolism, secondary, surgery)
• Aged
• Aged, 80 and over
• Biomarkers, Tumor (analysis, metabolism)
• Bone Neoplasms (metabolism, secondary)
• Cohort Studies
• Disease Progression
• Disease-Free Survival
• Humans
• Integrin alpha2 (analysis)
• Integrin alpha6 (analysis)
• Male
• Middle Aged
• Neoplastic Stem Cells (metabolism)
• Prognosis
• Prostatic Neoplasms (metabolism, pathology, surgery)
• Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-met (analysis)