Expressions of Thrombospondin-1 and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor and Their Relationship with p53 Status in Prostate Cancer and Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia / 대한비뇨기과학회지

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: The precise role of angiogenesis in prostate cancer should be defined. Several reports suggest that thrombospondin-1 (TSP-1) possesses a tumor suppressor function, possibly through its ability to inhibit tumor neovascularization. The vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), one of the most important angiogenic factors in a solid tumor, has shown conflicting results on prostate cancer. Therefore, TSP-1 and VEGF expression in prostate cancer, and their relationship with the p53 status were analyzed. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Using immunohistochemistry, the expression of VEGF, TSP-1 and p53 was assessed in 75 archival tissues from 23 benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), 22 localized prostate cancer, and 30 metastatic prostate cancer patients. The relationship between VEGF and TSP-1, and the p53 status, tumor grade and stage was evaluated in patients with prostate cancer. RESULTS: The immunohistochemical analysis demonstrated a higher VEGF expression level (p<0.01) and a lower TSP-1 expression level (p<0.01) in prostate cancer compared to the BPH tissues. In addition, a higher VEGF expression level (p<0.05) and a lower TSP-1 expression level (p<0.05) in metastatic prostate cancer tissues were observed compared to the localized prostate cancer tissues. A significant inverse correlation was found between the TSP-1 and VEGF expression levels. There was a significant association between the VEGF expression level and the p53 status (p<0.05), but the TSP-1 expression level was not associated with the p53 status. CONCLUSIONS: These results show that angiogenic factors including VEGF and TSP-1 might play an important role in the development and progression of prostate cancer. These changes appear to be influenced by the p53 status.