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Early prostate cancer detected using expression of non‐functional cytolytic P2X 7 receptors
Author(s) -
Slater M,
Danieletto S,
GidleyBaird A,
Teh L C,
Barden J A
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
histopathology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.626
H-Index - 124
eISSN - 1365-2559
pISSN - 0309-0167
DOI - 10.1111/j.0309-0167.2004.01798.x
Subject(s) - prostate cancer , prostate , receptor , cancer , pathology , biopsy , medicine , cytolysis , epithelium , purinergic receptor , biology , biochemistry , cytotoxic t cell , in vitro
Aims: To detect early prostate cancer reliably by monitoring the expression of non‐functional P2X 7 cytolytic purinergic receptors. Methods and results: P2X 7 receptors were absent from normal prostate epithelium obtained from post mortem tissue and tissue from cases of transurethral resection collected from young men ( n = 23) who were confirmed to be free of cancer at later procedures 5–10 years after collection of the original samples. However, P2X 7 was present in every case of 116 confirmed prostate cancers regardless of Gleason grade or patient age. P2X 7 was present in apparently normal epithelial cells in acini well outside the tumour margins, but appeared in a distinct stage‐specific manner commencing with the nucleus, progressing to the cytoplasm and collecting finally on the apical membrane of the epithelial cells in morphologically distinct cancer. The pattern of P2X 7 receptor localization in the epithelial cells was recorded in earlier biopsies obtained from the same patient cohort. One hundred and fourteen of 116 prostates stained positively for P2X 7 at the earliest biopsy, though generally with a less advanced pattern of distribution. Conclusions: The appearance of P2X 7 receptors in normal prostate tissue adjacent to prostate tumours makes direct tumour biopsy less critical for positive cancer diagnosis and enables cancer progression to be monitored.