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Updated: Dec 7, 2025
A Bioluminescent and Fluorescent Orthotopic Syngeneic Murine Model of Androgen-dependent and Castration-resistant Prostate Cancer
Published on: March 6, 2018
Relationship Between Stage-specific Embryonic Antigen-4 and Anti-cancer Effects of Neoadjuvant Hormonal Therapy in
Tsutomu Yuno1, Yasuyoshi Miyata2, Tomohiro Matsuo1
1Department of Urology, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki, Japan.
Background/Aim:
Stage-specific embryonic antigen-4 (SSEA-4) expression is associated with malignant aggressiveness and is useful as a marker for identifying cancer stem cells. Our aim was to assess the relationship between hormonal therapy and SSEA-4 expression in prostate cancer (PC).
Materials And Methods:
SSEA-4 expression in paired specimens from PC patients who underwent neoadjuvant hormonal therapy (NHT) and radical prostatectomy (60 pre-NHT specimens and 60 post-NHT specimens) was evaluated using immunohistochemistry. Proliferation index (PI) and apoptotic index (AI) were also evaluated.
Results:
Post-NHT tissues had significantly elevated SSEA-4 expression whereas anti-tumor effects of NHT were inversely correlated with SSEA-4 expression level. SSEA-4 expression in post-NHT tissues was significantly associated with biochemical recurrence-free survival. SSEA-4 expression in the post-NHT tissues was positively associated with PI and negatively done with AI.
Conclusion:
SSEA-4 is a potential therapeutic target for limiting the malignant potential in hormone-naïve PC when considering the use of NHT.
