Elevated E-cadherin and alpha/beta-catenin expression after androgen deprivation therapy in prostate adenocarcinoma.
The histological patterns of anti-androgen-treated prostate adenocarcinoma mimic high grade tumors classified according to the widely used Gleason scoring system. However, the biological characteristics of anti-androgen treated carcinoma are largely unknown. E-cadherin, alpha-catenin, and beta-catenin adhesion molecules are down-regulated in pharmacologically untreated high grade prostate carcinoma. In this study, we used immunohistochemical techniques to investigate their expression in twenty acinar adenocarcinomas after anti-androgen therapy in prostatectomy specimens. After adrogen ablation therapy, expression of all these adhesion molecules was higher than that of pretreatment biopsies of the same patient group and high grade matched untreated controls. These results emphasize the inaccuracy of the Gleason score for anti-androgen-treated prostate adenocarcinoma and the more differentiated phenotype of prostate adenocarcinoma after anti-hormonal therapy.
Patriarca
C
C
Division of Pathology, Ospedale Vizzolo Predabissi, Melegnano (Milan), Italy. carlo.patriarca@tin.it
Petrella
D
D
Campo
B
B
Colombo
P
P
Giunta
P
P
Parente
M
M
Zucchini
N
N
Mazzucchelli
R
R
Montironi
R
R
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D000726:Androgen Antagonists / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000813:Anilides / Q000633:toxicity*; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015820:Cadherins / Q000378:metabolism*; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D008297:Male; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness / Q000473:pathology; D009570:Nitriles; D011468:Prostatectomy; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D014105:Tosyl Compounds; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000378:metabolism*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D051178:alpha Catenin; D051176:beta Catenin
D000726:Androgen Antagonists; D000813:Anilides; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; C495273:CTNNA1 protein, human; C495270:CTNNB1 protein, human; D015820:Cadherins; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins; D009570:Nitriles; D014105:Tosyl Compounds; D015534:Trans-Activators; D051178:alpha Catenin; D051176:beta Catenin; C053541:bicalutamide