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Trefoil factor 3 overexpression in prostatic carcinoma: prognostic importance using tissue microarrays
Dennis A Faith1, William B Isaacs, James D Morgan
1Brady Urological Institute, The Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21287, USA.
The Prostate
|September 16, 2004
Summary
Human intestinal trefoil factor 3 (TFF3) is overexpressed in prostate cancer. This study confirms TFF3 protein overexpression in primary and metastatic prostate tumors using tissue microarrays.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Molecular Biology
- Genetics
Background:
- Human intestinal trefoil factor 3 (TFF3) is a polypeptide encoded on chromosome 21.
- Gene expression profiling indicates TFF3 mRNA is overexpressed in prostate cancer.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate TFF3 protein expression in prostate cancer tissues.
- To assess the utility of tissue microarrays and automated scoring in prostate cancer research.
Main Methods:
- Immunohistochemistry was performed on tissue microarrays (TMAs) from 294 primary tumors and 61 metastatic lesions.
- TMAJ database and automated cellular imaging system (ACIS) were used for semi-automated staining assessment.
- Analysis included 272 normal tissues for comparison.
Main Results:
- TFF3 protein expression was detected in 18.8% of normal prostate tissues and 47.0% of primary tumors (P < 0.0001).
- TFF3 expression levels in metastatic prostate cancer were comparable to primary tumors.
- No significant association was found between TFF3 expression and prostate cancer recurrence, metastasis, or mortality.
Conclusions:
- TFF3 is overexpressed at the protein level in a subset of primary and metastatic prostate cancers.
- The TMAJ database and semi-automated scoring methods provide efficient analysis of immunohistochemically stained TMAs.
- These findings validate TFF3 as a potential biomarker in prostate cancer.