title: p-AKT overexpression in primary renal cell carcinomas and their metastases.
abstract: In cancer therapy novel concepts focus on phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/activated protein kinase B (p-AKT)/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitors. In this context, p-AKT overexpression was previously shown to be associated with sensitivity to inhibitors of mTOR. The present study evaluated p-AKT expression in a tissue microarray of primary renal cell carcinomas (PRCCs) (n = 45), their metastases (primary onset n = 45, secondary onset n = 5), and normal renal parenchyma (n = 45) by means of immunohistochemistry. Total p-AKT overexpression was found in 24/45 (53.3%) PRCCs, in 32/45 (71.1%) primary and in 3/5 (60%) secondary onset metastases. Membranous p-AKT overexpression was seen more frequently in PRCCs, namely 11/45 (24.4%), than in primary onset metastases 1/45 (2.2%). Overexpression of total p-AKT solely in metastases without overexpression in PRCC was exclusively demonstrated in primary onset metastases, namely in 28.9%. Patients with total p-AKT overexpression in primary carcinomas showed a trend to longer, and those with total p-AKT overexpression in metastases a tendency to shorter survival. In conclusion, the present study shows total p-AKT overexpression to be more frequent in metastases than in PRCCs. Total p-AKT overexpression in metastases without concomitant overexpression in their primary tumors was found in approximately one-third of primary onset metastases, which is interesting with regard to the association between high p-AKT expression and sensitivity to mTOR inhibitor therapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria. hager.martina@gmx.at
authors.forename: Martina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hager
authors.forename: Heike
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Haufe
authors.forename: Lukas
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lusuardi
authors.forename: Nikolaus
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Schmeller
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kolbitsch
mesh_terms: D002292:Carcinoma, Renal Cell / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007680:Kidney Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis / Q000235:genetics*; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt