Programmed Cell Death Protein 4 -Expression in Urologic Tumors

Introduction: To investigate the role of the tumor suppressor gene Pdcd4 (programmed cell death 4) in benign and malignant prostate tissue specimen. Materials and Methodology: Pdcd4 immunohistochemical expression was investigated in 73 prostate cancer and 14 normal tissues. The expression levels were correlated with clinicopathological parameters. Results: Both, cytoplasmic and nuclear Pdcd4 staining was significantly decreased in malignant prostate tissue. Furthermore, Pdcd4 expression decreased with histopathological progression of the tumor. Receiver operating characteristic analyses showed in core staining results high sensitivity (83.3%) and specificity (93.8%) for the discrimination of prostate cancer from non-malignant tissue. Conclusion: Our data support a role for Pdcd4 in prostate carcinogenesis. Pdcd4 immunohistochemical staining turns out to be a possible diagnostic marker for differentiation of prostate carcinoma and benign prostate tissue.