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Progesterone receptor expression in human prostate cancer: Correlation with tumor progression
Author(s) -
Bonkhoff Helmut,
Fixemer Thomas,
Hunsicker Isabel,
Remberger Klaus
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
the prostate
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.295
H-Index - 123
eISSN - 1097-0045
pISSN - 0270-4137
DOI - 10.1002/pros.1108
Subject(s) - prostate cancer , prostate , medicine , androgen receptor , estrogen , immunohistochemistry , estrogen receptor , cancer , progesterone receptor , tumor progression , estrogen receptor alpha , adenocarcinoma , pca3 , cancer research , primary tumor , androgen , metastasis , pathology , breast cancer , hormone
BACKGROUND The recent discovery of the classical estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) in metastatic and recurrent prostatic adenocarcinoma suggests that estrogens are implicated in prostate cancer progression. METHODS To get more insight into estrogen signaling in prostate cancer tissue, the current study has examined the immunoprofile of the estrogen‐inducible progesterone receptor (PR), and evaluated its relation to ERα gene expression. RESULTS In primary tumors, the PR was detectable in 36% of primary Gleason grade 3 (5 of 14 cases), 33% of primary Gleason grade 4 (5 of 15 cases), and in 58% of primary Gleason grade 5 tumors (7 of 12 cases). None of the 41 primary tumors investigated revealed significant PR expression in more than 50% of tumor cells. Conversely, moderate to strong receptor expression was observed in 60% of metastatic lesions (9 of 15 cases), and in 54% of androgen‐insensitive tumors (38 of 71 cases). Irrespective of grades and stages, the presence of the PR was invariably associated with high steady state levels of ERα mRNA, whereas the ERα protein was undetectable by immunohistochemistry (IHC) in a significant number of cases (58 of 97 cases). CONCLUSIONS The progressive emergence of the PR during tumor progression obviously reflects the ability of metastatic and androgen‐insensitive tumors to use estrogens through a ERα‐mediated pathway. The present data provide a theoretical background for studying the efficiency of antiestrogens and antigestagens in the medical treatment of advanced prostate cancer. Prostate 48:285–291, 2001. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.