Is Stat3 and/or p53 mRNA expression a prognostic marker for renal cell carcinoma?
Signal transducer and activator of transcription (Stat) 3 and p53 integrate upstream signals, and are positive and negative regulators of tumor cell proliferation, respectively. Stat3 and p53 also negatively regulate each other. However, their roles remain elusive in patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC). We quantified Stat3 and p53 mRNA expression in paired tumor and non-tumor surgical samples from 47 Japanese patients with RCC by the real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) technique. Absolute levels of Stat3 and p53 mRNA were lower in tumor tissues compared with non-tumor tissues (P < 0.0001). The absolute levels of Stat3 and p53 mRNA in RCC tissue were not correlated with tumor histology, stage, or metastatic behavior. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that a high level of Stat3 or p53 mRNA expression was associated with shorter overall survival compared to low expression (P = 0.254 and P = 0.066, respectively). In addition, the tumor tissue levels of Stat3 and p53 mRNA expression were correlated with each other (r(2) = 0.697, P < 0.01). These findings suggest that Stat3 and p53 are cooperatively involved in the development of RCC, but assessment of their mRNA expression may not be useful for predicting the prognosis of patients with RCC.
Masuda
Akinori
A
Department of Urology, Dokkyo Medical University, Mibu, Tochigi, Japan.
Kamai
Takao
T
Abe
Hideyuki
H
Arai
Kyoko
K
Yoshida
Ken-Ichiro
K
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D002292:Carcinoma, Renal Cell / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D016158:Genes, p53; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D007680:Kidney Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D050796:STAT3 Transcription Factor / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D015996:Survival Rate; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 / Q000378:metabolism*
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D050796:STAT3 Transcription Factor; C494086:STAT3 protein, human; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53