Immunohistochemical negative expression of ezrin predicts poor prognosis in clear cell renal cell carcinoma

To analyze the immunohistochemical expression of ezrin and moesin in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). These proteins, as part of the ezrin-radixin-moesin complex link the cell membrane to the actin cytoskeleton, affecting such processes as cell adhesion, cell survival, cell motility, and signal transduction. Our aim was to examine the impact of their expression on clinical outcomes and survival rates.

Five hundred seventy-five consecutive patients who had been treated surgically for ccRCC in a single center between 1985 and 2016 were selected. A single pathologist reviewed all cases to perform a uniform reclassification and determined the most representative tumor areas for construction of a tissue microarray.

Of all ccRCC specimens, 106 (18.3%) were negative for ezrin, and 469 (81.7%) had positive ezrin expression; 16 (2.8%) were negative and 559 (97.2%) were positive for moesin, respectively. Ezrin expression was associated with pT stage (P < 0.001), clinical stage (P = 0.012), synchronic metastasis (P < 0.001), incidental tumors (P = 0.007), and International Society of Urological Pathology histological grade (P = 0.025). There was a correlation between moesin expression and clinical stage (P = 0.027), pT stage (P = 0.025), and pN stage (P = 0.007). Ezrin expression significantly influenced tumor-related deaths. By multivariate analysis, negative ezrin expression was an independent risk factor for disease-specific survival (HR 1.89; 95% CI 1.11-3.20).

Negativity for ezrin in ccRCC patients significantly impacts survival rates. We encourage further prospective studies to analyze ezrin analysis to evaluate its significance in the prognosis of ccRCC.