Expression of proto-oncogene c-kit in high risk prostate cancer.
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.
Di Lorenzo
G
G
Cattedra di Oncologia Medica, Dipartimento di Endocrinologia e Oncologia molecolare e clinica, Università degli Studi Federico II, Naples, Italy.
Autorino
R
R
D'Armiento
F P
FP
Mignogna
C
C
De Laurentiis
M
M
De Sio
M
M
D'Armiento
M
M
Damiano
R
R
Vecchio
G
G
De Placido
S
S
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*
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; C000715470:MAS1 protein, human; D000090063:Proto-Oncogene Mas; D019009:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-kit; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen