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The number of regulatory T cells in prostate cancer is associated with the androgen receptor and hypoxia‐inducible factor (HIF)‐2α but not HIF‐1α
Author(s) -
Fox Stephen B.,
Launchbury Rosalind,
Bates Gaynor J.,
Han Cheng,
Shaida Nadeem,
Malone Peter R.,
Harris Adrian L.,
Banham Alison H.
Publication year - 2007
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.20538
Subject(s) - prostate cancer , prostate , medicine , androgen receptor , androgen , prostate specific antigen , foxp3 , cancer , cancer research , immune system , oncology , hormone , immunology
BACKGROUND Regulatory T cells (T R ) mediate peripheral immunological tolerance and are implicated in tumor progression. Because prostate cancer is being investigated for treatment by immunotherapy, we have assessed tumor T R in prostate cancers. METHODS T R cells were identified by FOXP3 in tissue microarrays (TMAs) from 146 radical prostatectomies and correlated with clinicopathological tumor parameters and prostatic specific antigen rise (PSA). RESULTS Twenty of 146 tumors contained no T R . The mean of the average for the remaining 146 patients was 7.24. There was a significant correlation between T R and androgen receptor ( P = 0.003) and with hypoxia‐inducible factor (HIF)‐2α ( P = 0.007) but not HIF‐1α ( P = 0.25). There was no significant correlation between T R numbers and stage, capsular invasion, urethral margins, vascular invasion, Gleason score, pre‐operative PSA, or time to PSA recurrence (all P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS T R in prostate tumors shows significant heterogeneity and may be the result of hormonal and hypoxic signaling. Targeting these may reduce T R in tumors allowing more successful immune therapies. Prostate 67: 623–629, 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.