Strong Stromal Hyaluronan Expression Is Associated with PSA Recurrence in Local Prostate Cancer

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Biochemistry

Background:

• Hyaluronan (HA) and its receptor CD44 are implicated in tumor growth, migration, and neovascularization.
• CD44 plays a role in cancer cell adhesion and migration.
• Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) recurrence is a key indicator of prostate cancer progression.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the expression of HA and CD44 in prostate cancer (PC).
• To determine the relationship between HA and CD44 expression and prognostic factors.
• To assess the association with PSA recurrence after radical prostatectomy.

Main Methods:

• Studied 77 prostate cancer patients treated with radical prostatectomy.
• Analyzed HA expression using a specific probe and CD44 expression via immunohistochemistry.
• Followed patients for a mean of 4 years to monitor PSA recurrence.

Main Results:

• Strong stromal HA expression was observed in 78% of tumors and correlated with perineural infiltration and capsule invasion.
• CD44 expression was found in 66% of tumors and linked to preoperative PSA levels.
• Strong stromal HA expression, pT classification, seminal vesicle invasion, capsule invasion, and surgical margin invasion predicted PSA recurrence.

Conclusions:

• Strong stromal HA expression is associated with PSA recurrence and adverse prognostic factors in prostate cancer.
• While linked to unfavorable prognosis, the study's follow-up is too short for definitive prognostic conclusions.
• Seminal vesicle infiltration emerged as an independent predictor of PSA recurrence-free survival in multivariate analysis.