BACKGROUND: In the present study, we have investigated the prognostic usefulness of phosphorylated Akt immunoreactivity (pAkt-IR) in prostate cancer using a well-characterised tissue microarray from men who had undergone transurethral resection due to lower urinary tract symptoms.
METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: pAkt-IR in prostate epithelial and tumour cells was assessed using a monoclonal anti-pAkt (Ser473) antibody. Immunoreactive intensity was determined for 282 (tumour) and 240 (non-malignant tissue) cases. Tumour pAkt-IR scores correlated with Gleason score, tumour Ki67-IR (a marker of cell proliferation) and tumour phosphorylated epidermal growth factor receptor (pEGFR)-IR. For cases followed with expectancy, a high tumour pAkt-IR was associated with a poor disease-specific survival, and the prognostic information provided by this biomarker was additive to that provided by either (but not both) tumour pEFGR-IR or Ki67-IR. Upon division of the cases with respect to their Gleason scores, the prognostic value of pAkt-IR was seen for patients with Gleason score 8-10, but not for patients with Gleason score 6-7.
CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Tumour pAkt-IR is associated with both disease severity and disease-specific survival. However, its clinical use as a biomarker is limited, since it does not provide prognostic information in patients with Gleason scores 6-7.
Written by:
Hammarsten P, Cipriano M, Josefsson A, Stattin P, Egevad L, Granfors T, Fowler CJ. Are you the author?
Department of Medical Biosciences, Pathology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.
Reference: PLoS One. 2012;7(10):e47994.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0047994
PubMed Abstract
PMID: 23133535
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