Cancer-associated changes in the expression of TMPRSS2-ERG, PCA3, and SPINK1 in histologically benign tissue from cancerous vs noncancerous prostatectomy specimens.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate whether messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) expression of TMPRSS2-ERG fusion gene, a suggested prostate cancer (PCa) biomarker, was specific to cancerous lesions alone and to study the expression of SPINK1 and PCA3 mRNAs in the same cohort to also explore the proposed mutual exclusivity of TMPRSS2-ERG and SPINK1 expression.


METHODS
Levels of 2 TMPRSS2-ERG transcripts, PCA3, and SPINK1 mRNAs were measured with highly standardized reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction assays in cystoprostatectomy specimens from 19 patients with invasive bladder cancer and 174 radical prostatectomy (RP) samples (88 histologically benign prostate [HBP] tissues and 86 from cancerous lesions) from 87 patients with clinically localized PCa.


RESULTS
Expression of TMPRSS2-ERG transcripts was detected in 45 of 88 (51%) HBP tissues from RP specimens and more frequently (57 of 86, 66%) found in cancerous lesions. In contrast, TMPRSS2-ERG expression was detected in only 2 of 19 (11%) cystoprostatectomy specimens, both with incidental PCa foci elsewhere in the gland. Similar trends of changes in the expression of PCA3 and SPINK1 were present in HBP tissue from RP compared with cystoprostatectomy specimens.


CONCLUSIONS
Although the expression of TMPRSS2-ERG, SPINK1, and PCA3 mRNA is higher or more frequently found in cancerous lesions, HBP tissues from patients with clinically localized PCa manifest molecular, mRNA level changes that are absent in cystoprostatectomy specimens lacking incidental PCa foci or infrequent in cystoprostatectomy specimens containing incidental PCa. If this finding is replicated, these molecular assays could be used to inform men with negative biopsy results about the likelihood of cancerous lesions in unsampled regions and hence the need for repeat biopsy.
Department of Biotechnology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland. Electronic address: riina-minna.vaananen@utu.fi.
Riina-Minna
RM
Väänänen
Departments of Laboratory Medicine, Surgery (Urology), and Medicine (GU-Oncology), Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY; Nuffield Department of Surgical Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom; Institute of Biomedical Technology, University of Tampere, Tampere, Finland; Department of Laboratory Medicine, Lund University, Skåne University Hospital, Malmö, Sweden.
Hans
H
Lilja
Department of Biotechnology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.
Leni
L
Kauko
Department of Biotechnology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.
Pauliina
P
Helo
Department of Biotechnology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.
Henna
H
Kekki
Center for Outcomes and Policy Research, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA.
Angel M
AM
Cronin
Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY.
Andrew J
AJ
Vickers
Department of Surgery, Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland.
Martti
M
Nurmi
Department of Pathology, Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland.
Kalle
K
Alanen
Department of Clinical Sciences, Division of Urological Cancers, Lund University, Skåne University Hospital, Malmö, Sweden.
Anders
A
Bjartell
Department of Biotechnology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.
Kim
K
Pettersson
D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015514:Oncogene Proteins, Fusion / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D011467:Prostate / Q000378:metabolism*; D011468:Prostatectomy; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000601:surgery; D014359:Trypsin Inhibitor, Kazal Pancreatic
D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D002352:Carrier Proteins; D015514:Oncogene Proteins, Fusion; C486642:SPINK1 protein, human; C515553:TMPRSS2-ERG fusion protein, human; C479341:prostate cancer antigen 3, human; D014359:Trypsin Inhibitor, Kazal Pancreatic