ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Topoisomerase II- expression increases with increasing Gleason score and with hormone insensitivity in prostate carcinoma

C Hughes¹, A Murphy², C Martin³, E Fox⁴, M Ring³, O Sheils³, B Loftus² and J O’Leary³

¹ Histopathology Department, John Radcliffe Hospital, Headington, Oxford, UK
² Department of Pathology, Adelaide and Meath Hospital Incorporating the National Children’s Hospital, and Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland
³ Department of Pathology, Coombe Women’s Hospital, and Trinity College Dublin
⁴ Department of Pathology, Conway Institute of Biomolecular and Biomedical Research, University College Dublin, Dublin

Correspondence to:
Correspondence to:
Dr C Hughes
Histopathology Department, John Radcliffe Hospital, Headington, Oxford OX3 9DZ, UK; caroline.hughes{at}orh.nhs.uk

Aim: To investigate and compare topoisomerase II- expression in benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), prostate cancer of varying Gleason scores and hormone-insensitive prostate cancer.

Methods: The immunohistochemical expression of topoisomerase II- antibody in the above-mentioned diagnostic categories was investigated and compared.

Results: Increased expression of topoisomerase II- was seen in the prostate cancers of Gleason scores 7 and 8–10 (p = 0.000) compared with prostate cancers of Gleason score 6 and BPH (p = 0.245). Statistically significant differences were found in the topoisomerase II- gene expression between prostate cancers categorised by Gleason Score. Also, increased expression of topoisomerase II- was seen in the known hormone-resistant prostate carcinomas compared with prostate cancers with no hormone treatment in the subgroup with Gleason scores 8–10, which approached statistical significance (p = 0.081). No statistically significant difference was observed in topoisomerase II- expression between the groups with BPH and prostate carcinoma of Gleason score 6 (p = 0.245).

Conclusion: Topoisomerase II- expression was found to increase with the known prognostic marker Gleason score and with hormone insensitivity. Objective evidence is provided for clinical trials with drugs targeting topoisomerase II- to be targeted to patients with prostate cancers of Gleason Score >6 and, in particular, prostate cancers of Gleason Scores 8–10.

Abbreviations: BPH, benign prostatic hyperplasia

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