title: IGF-IEc expression is associated with advanced clinical and pathological stage of prostate cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Recent evidence suggests a role for the insulin-like growth factor-1Ec (IGF-IEc) transcript variant in cancer biology. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether IGF-IEc expression is associated with prostate cancer stage.
  
  
  METHODS
  Formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded prostate cancer surgical specimens from 83 patients were assessed by immunohistochemistry for IGF-IEc expression.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Normal prostate epithelium was negative or demonstrated mild IGF-IEc cytoplasmic expression whereas prostate cancer exhibited mild to strong cytoplasmic immunoexpression. The mean IGF-1Ec expression, was significantly lower (p=0.004) in localized (stage ≤ IIb) prostate cancer, compared to locally advanced tumors (stage ≥ III). Only one out of 83 (1.2%) prostate cancer samples was completely negative for IGF-IEc. A weak-positive correlation was also observed between IGF-IEc expression levels and Gleason score (r=0.247; p=0.024).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The present data demonstrate that the expression of IGF-IEc is positively-associated with more advanced stage and higher Gleason score of prostate carcinomas.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Medical School, National and Kapodistian University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Argyro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Savvani
authors.forename: Constantina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Petraki
authors.forename: Pavlos
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Msaouel
authors.forename: Evangelia
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Diamanti
authors.forename: Ioannis
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Xoxakos
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Koutsilieris
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D060787:Neoplasm Grading; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D016612:Paraffin Embedding; D011379:Prognosis; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D017526:Receptor, IGF Type 1 / Q000378:metabolism*; D016707:Tissue Fixation
chemical_list: D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I; D017526:Receptor, IGF Type 1
keywords: IGF1Ec; Prostate cancer; immunohistochemistry; insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1); mechano-growth factor (MGF)