The aim of this study was to compare the expression of annexin II (ANXA2) in benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) with that of prostate cancer (PC), and to correlate the expression levels with pathologic grade and stage. Immunohistochemistry was performed on samples from 85 patients with PC and 40 patients with BPH. The correlation between ANXA2 expression and clinicopathologic features and clinical outcome was evaluated. The data showed that ANXA2 expression was significantly lower in PC compared to BPH (P<0.01). There was significant difference between ANXA2 expression and Gleason score (P<0.01). Patients with down-regulated ANXA2 tended to have tumors of advanced clinical stage, more frequent recurrence and regional lymph node and distant metastasis. ANXA2 expression was not correlated with age. The down-regulation of ANXA2 in a PC-3 cell line increased in vitro invasive ability, and ANXA2 had an independent prognostic effect on overall survival. In conclusion, ANXA2 dysregulation is an important event associated with the development and progression of PC. ANXA2 down-regulation aids in the discrimination of PC from BPH and may serve as a clinically useful biomarker.

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