Prognostic Value of Twist-1, E-cadherin and EZH2 in Prostate Cancer: An Immunohistochemical Study

Abstract

Objective: there is an urgent need to identify molecular biomarkers rather than clinical markers to distinguish aggressive prostate cancer from the indolent majority for proper treatment and accurate prediction of prognosis. We aimed to investigate the immunohistochemical expression of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMt)-related molecules (twist-1 and E-cadherin) and the stem cell marker EZH2 in prostate cancer and to assess their ability to identify the high-risk patients, in a trial to explore their prognostic implications. Material and Method: Immunohistochemical expression of twist-1, E-cadherin and EZH2 in 50 specimens of prostate cancer and 20 cases of benign prostatic hyperplasia were studied. the relationship between their expression and the clinicopathological variables, biochemical recurrence, and biochemical progression-free survival were investigated. Results: Our results revealed that high twist-1, as well as high EZH2 expression, was strongly associated with higher pre-treatment PSa level, gleason score ≥7, advanced tumor stage, lymph node involvement, distant metastasis and biochemical progression. aberrant E-cadherin expression was significantly associated with higher pre-treatment PSa level, gleason score ≥7, advanced tumor stage, lymph node involvement, and distant metastasis. a significant positive correlation between twist-1 and EZH2 expression was found (p