[Prognostic significance of mutually exclusive expression of ERG and SPINK1 in endocrine-treated prostatic cancer].
OBJECTIVE
To study the expression and prognostic significance of ERG and SPINK1 expression in endocrine-treated prostatic cancer.


METHODS
Prostatic needle biopsies from 118 prostatic cancer patients primarily treated with endocrine therapy were reviewed. Immunohistochemical study for ERG and SPINK1 protein was carried out.


RESULTS
Co-expression of ERG and SPINK1 was not observed. The frequency of ERG protein expression in the 118 biopsies studied was 9.3% (11/118). The positive expression correlated with T stage (P=0.04) but not with patient age at diagnosis, prostatic specific antigen level, Gleason's score, M stage, tumor area and progression-free survival. Positive expression of SPINK1 was demonstrated in 11.0% (13/118) of the biopsies. SPINK1-positive cases carried a significantly shorter progression-free survival, as compared with SPINK1-negative cases (P=0.022). The expression was not associated with any other clinicopathologic variables. The following expression pattern showed statistically significant correlation with the clinical progress (P=0.029): ERG+/SPINK1- (11/118, 9.3%), ERG-/SPINK1+ (13/118, 11.0%) and ERG-/SPINK1- (94/118, 79.7%).


CONCLUSIONS
ERG and SPINK1 proteins are mutually exclusive.SPINK1 expression is associated with more aggressive clinical behavior and can serve as a prognostic biomarker in prostatic cancer.
Department of Pathology, Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100053, China. E-mail: tenglh2012@163.com.
Lianghong
L
Teng
Wei
W
Gao
Dehong
D
Lu
Jianjun
J
Xu
Lihong
L
Zhao
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D018931:Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D060787:Neoplasm Grading; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000378:metabolism*; D000071230:Transcriptional Regulator ERG; D014359:Trypsin Inhibitor, Kazal Pancreatic
D018931:Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal; D002352:Carrier Proteins; C072312:ERG protein, human; C486642:SPINK1 protein, human; D015534:Trans-Activators; D000071230:Transcriptional Regulator ERG; D014359:Trypsin Inhibitor, Kazal Pancreatic