Significance of heat shock protein-27 expression in patients with renal cell carcinoma.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate heat shock protein (HSP)-27 expression in patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and examine its biologic significance. HSPs were first defined as proteins induced by heat shock and other environmental and pathophysiologic stresses. They are implicated in protein-protein interactions and are thought to play an important role in cancer. The expression of HSP-27 has been demonstrated in some human tumors.


METHODS
The expression of HSP-27 was studied in tumor and normal parenchyma tissue specimens from 76 patients with RCC by immunohistochemistry. The findings were correlated with clinical stage, lymph node metastasis, histologic grade, and survival.


RESULTS
Of the 76 RCC tissue specimens studied, the presence of HSP-27 was demonstrated in 73 (96%). The expression was low in 10 patients (14%), intermediate in 38 (50%), and high in 25 (33%). HSP-27 expression was greater in RCC tissue compared with adjacent noncancerous renal tissue (P <0.001). An inverse relationship was found between tumor stage and HSP-27 expression (r = -0.281, P = 0.016). However, no statistically significant difference was observed in progression-free survival with respect to HSP-27 expression. No relationship was found between HSP-27 expression and tumor grade, lymph node metastasis, distant metastasis, or cause-specific survival.


CONCLUSIONS
Our data suggest that HSP-27 expression is not a powerful and statistically significant prognostic indicator for disease-free survival for patients with RCC.
Erkizan
O
O
Department of Biochemistry, Social Security Teaching Hospital, Izmir, Turkey.
Kirkali
G
G
Yörükoğlu
K
K
Kirkali
Z
Z
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000737:chemistry / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis*; D002291:Carcinoma, Papillary / Q000737:chemistry / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D002292:Carcinoma, Renal Cell / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000145:classification / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D055551:HSP27 Heat-Shock Proteins; D006360:Heat-Shock Proteins / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D007680:Kidney Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018832:Molecular Chaperones; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000032:analysis*; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D009392:Nephrectomy; D011379:Prognosis; D012509:Sarcoma / Q000737:chemistry / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D016037:Single-Blind Method; D016019:Survival Analysis
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D055551:HSP27 Heat-Shock Proteins; C057725:HSPB1 protein, human; D006360:Heat-Shock Proteins; D018832:Molecular Chaperones; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins