title: Expression of proto-oncogene c-kit in high risk prostate cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We determined whether c-kit proto-oncogene is expressed in prostate cancer and whether its expression is related with biochemical relapse in high risk localized prostate cancer patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  c-Kit expression was evaluated by immuno-histochemistry in 94 prostate cancer samples from patients treated by radical prostatectomy followed by adjuvant hormonal therapy because all patients had a pT3a stage (initially cT2 stage). All patients presented a >7 Gleason score and a >10 pre-operative PSA value. We evaluated association between c-kit positive staining and disease free survival.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In 26 of 94 prostate cancer, we found an epithelial positive c-kit expression. The epithelial expression was found in the peripheral zone of prostate tissue. 13/94 relapsed and, although not statistically significant (p 0.055), a trend to a higher risk of relapse among the c-kit positive samples was observed in our series of prostate cancer patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study is only an initial experience and it is necessary to consider a higher number of patients to clarify whether c-kit is really an independent predictor for disease recurrence. Further study in this area will help to understand whether anti c-kit drugs could become an effective complement to the armamentarium of prostate cancer therapies.
authors.affiliation: Cattedra di Oncologia Medica, Dipartimento di Endocrinologia e Oncologia molecolare e clinica, Università degli Studi Federico II, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Di Lorenzo
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Autorino
authors.forename: F P
authors.initials: FP
authors.lastname: D'Armiento
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mignogna
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: De Laurentiis
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: De Sio
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: D'Armiento
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Damiano
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Vecchio
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: De Placido
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000378:metabolism*; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen / Q000097:blood; D011468:Prostatectomy; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000601:surgery; D000090063:Proto-Oncogene Mas; D019009:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-kit / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; C000715470:MAS1 protein, human; D000090063:Proto-Oncogene Mas; D019009:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-kit; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen