Eukaryotic Elongation Factor 2 (eEF2) is a Potential Biomarker of Prostate Cancer

Eukaryotic elongation factor 2 (eEF2), a key regulator of protein synthesis, is involved in the progression of several types of cancer. This first study was to investigate the relationships between eEF2 protein and prostate cancer (PCa). Immunohistochemical staining was used to verify eEF2 protein in a set of 97 formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded primary PCa tissues. Expression of eEF2 protein in positive cells was characterized by cytoplasmic staining. Correlations with clinicopathological factors were evaluated by Chi-square or Fisher's exact probability tests. eEF2 protein was found in 74 out of 97 (76.29%) patients. eEF2-positive had higher PSA and Gleason score than negative in all patients. In addition, the positive expression of eEF2 protein was significantly associated with PSA and Gleason score (P = 0.007 and 0.002). However, no significant correlations occurred between expression of eEF2 protein and TNM stage (P = 0.292). In those eEF2 protein-positive patients, we have found staining intensity of eEF2 protein was not only associated with PSA and Gleason score, but also associated with TNM stage (P = 0, 0.014 and 0.001, respectively). To conclude, our study indicates that expression of eEF2 protein is a potential biomarker for evaluating PCa.