Androgen receptor splice variant V7 (AR-V7) was recently detected in circulating tumor cells of castration-resistant prostate cancer (PC) patients and its expression correlated with resistance to new-generation androgen signaling inhibitors.
We retrospectively analyzed whether AR-V7 expression was detectable on radical prostatectomy (RP) specimens of untreated nonmetastatic PC cases, and whether it could be associated with progression after surgery.
The expression of AR-V7 and AR-FL (full length) was separately evaluated by immunohistochemistry using a streptavidin-biotin-peroxidase system with 2 anti-AR-V7 and anti-AR-FL rabbit monoclonal antibodies.
56 PC cases, classified by their clinical risk, were analyzed. Positive expression was found in 24/32 cases in the high-risk group, 4/13 in the intermediate-risk group, and only 2/11 in the low-risk group. We found a significant correlation between AR-V7 positivity and both risk classification (p < 0.001) and progression after surgery (p < 0.001).
In our population of untreated nonmetastatic PC, AR-V7 is detectable by immunohistochemistry in more than 50% of cases. At this early stage, AR-V7 positivity is associated with risk classification and it can predict progression after surgery.
Oncology. 2021 Jan 18 [Epub ahead of print]
Alessandro Sciarra, Martina Maggi, Stefano Salciccia, Alice Nicolai, Elisabetta Tortorella, Sabrina Giantulli, Fabio Massimo Magliocca, Ida Silvestri, Ludovica Taglieri, Susanna Cattarino, Susanna Scarpa
Department of Urology, Sapienza Rome University, Policlinico Umberto I, Rome, Italy., Department of Urology, Sapienza Rome University, Policlinico Umberto I, Rome, Italy, ., Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza Rome University, Policlinico Umberto I, Rome, Italy., Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza Rome University, Policlinico Umberto I, Rome, Italy., Department of Radiological, Oncological and Anatomopathological Sciences, Sapienza Rome University, Policlinico Umberto I, Rome, Italy.
PubMed http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33461196