부산대학교 도서관

BACKGROUND.: Integrins and other adhesion molecules are essential for maintaining the epithelial phenotype. Some studies have reported correlations between abnormalities in their expression and carcinogenesis, but their role in prostate cancer is unclear. Our aim was to study the expression profile of integrins in surgical specimens of prostate cancer and associate their expression patterns with patient outcomes. METHODS.: We selected 111 patients with localized prostate cancer who had undergone radical prostatectomy. Of these patients, 60 had no tumor recurrence after a median follow-up of 123 months. Integrin expression was evaluated by immunohistochemistry in a tissue microarray containing two tumor samples per patient. A semiquantitative analysis was employed. We measured the association between the expression of eight integrins and tumor recurrence. RESULTS.: Multivariate analysis showed that expression of α3 and α3β1 was related to worse outcome. When α3 expression was strong and α3β1 expression was positive, the odds of recurrence were 3.0- and 2.5-fold higher, respectively. Only 19% and 28% of patients were recurrence-free in a mean period of 123 months of follow up when their tumors showed strong α3 or positive α3β1 immuno-expression, respectively. CONCLUSIONS.: We have shown that the expression of integrin α3β1 was independently associated with tumor recurrence after radical prostatectomy, suggesting that this integrin is a potential prognostic marker. Prostate 70: 1189–1195, 2010. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.