Assessment of PTEN Gene Loss as a Possible Prognostic Marker for Prostate Cancer

Background: Prostate Cancer (PCa) is a leading cause of cancer deaths in older men worldwide. In the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PIK3)/AKT pathway, the PTEN (10q23.3) gene is a negative regulator and a tumor suppressor gene frequently deleted in PCa. Information about the PTEN deletion in the primary tumor, in addition to clinico-pathological parameters, might be of significance for selecting the ideal treatment for a patient. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to determine the frequency of PTEN deletion in prostate cancer using FISH technique. Materials and Method: Histopathologically proven and diagnosed PCa patients were included for a PTEN gene deletion study by FISH technique. FISH was performed on paraffin embedded tissue using ZytoLight SPEC PTEN/CEN10 Dual Color Probe Kit (CytoVision GmbH, Bremerhaven, Germany). Results: A total of 42 histopathologically proven and diagnosed PCa patients were enrolled in the present study. The median age was 65 years. PTEN gene deletion was positive in 24 patients (57%) while 18 (43%) were negative. PTEN gene deletion was significantly higher in advanced stages as compared to those in early advanced stages. PTEN gene was significantly deleted in patients with the presence of positive lymph nodes compared to patients without positive lymph nodes. Conclusion: The present study suggests that PTEN deletion is associated with tumor stage and lymph node status. This study demonstrated that a higher rate of PTEN deletion is associated with advanced stage cancers with a Gleason's score of 7, which explains the poor prognosis associated with its deletion. Detection of PTEN status will help to identify the specific subsets of patients who might benefit from molecular targeted therapies.