HPV infection and immunochemical detection of cell-cycle markers in verrucous carcinoma of the penis

Penile verrucous carcinoma is a rare disease and little is known of its aetiology or pathogenesis. In this study we examined cell-cycle proteins expression and correlation with human papillomavirus infection in a series of 15 pure penile verrucous carcinomas from a single centre. Of 148 penile tumours, 15 (10%) were diagnosed as pure verrucous carcinomas. The expression of the cell-cycle-associated proteins p53, p21, RB, p16INK4A and Ki67 were examined by immunohistochemistry. Human papillomavirus infection was determined by polymerase chain reaction to identify a wide range of virus types. The expression of p16INK4A and Ki67 was significantly lower in verrucous carcinoma than in usual type squamous cell carcinoma, whereas the expression of p53, p21 and RB was not significantly different. p53 showed basal expression in contrast to usual type squamous cell carcinoma. Human papillomavirus infection was present in only 3 out of 13 verrucous carcinomas. Unique low-risk, high-risk and mixed viral infections were observed in each of the three cases. In conclusion, lower levels of p16INK4A and Ki67 expressions differentiate penile verrucous carcinoma from usual type squamous cell carcinoma. The low Ki67 index reflects the slow-growing nature of verrucous tumours. The low level of p16INK4A expression and human papillomavirus detection suggests that penile verrucous carcinoma pathogenesis is unrelated to human papillomavirus infection and the oncogenes and tumour suppressor genes classically altered by virus infection.Peer reviewedFinal Accepted Versio

Alternative HER/PTEN/Akt Pathway Activation in HPV Positive and Negative Penile Carcinomas

Copyright: 2011 Stankiewicz et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.Background: The pathogenesis of penile squamous cell carcinoma (PSCC) is not well understood, though risk factors include human papillomavirus (HPV). Disruption of HER/PTEN/Akt pathway is present in many cancers; however there is little information on its function in PSCC. We investigated HER family receptors and phosphatase and tension homolog (PTEN) in HPV-positive and negative PSCC and its impact on Akt activation using immunohistochemistry and fluorescent in situ hybridisation (FISH). Methodology/Principal Findings: 148 PSCCs were microarrayed and immunostained for phosphorylated EGFR (pEGFR), HER2, HER3, HER4, phosphorylated Akt (pAkt), Akt1 and PTEN proteins. EGFR and PTEN gene status were also evaluated using FISH. HPV presence was assessed by PCR. pEGFR expression was detected significantly less frequently in HPV-positive than HPV-negative tumours (p = 0.0143). Conversely, HER3 expression was significantly more common in HPV-positive cases (p = 0.0128). HER4, pAkt, Akt and PTEN protein expression were not related to HPV. HER3 (p = 0.0054) and HER4 (p = 0.0002) receptors significantly correlated with cytoplasmic Akt1 immunostaining. All three proteins positively correlated with tumour grade (HER3, p = 0.0029; HER4, p = 0.0118; Akt1, p = 0.0001). pEGFR expression correlated with pAkt but not with tumour grade or stage. There was no EGFR gene amplification. HER2 was not detected. PTEN protein expression was reduced or absent in 62% of tumours but PTEN gene copy loss was present only in 4% of PSCCs. Conclusions/Significance: EGFR, HER3 and HER4 but not HER2 are associated with penile carcinogenesis. HPV-negative tumours tend to express significantly more pEGFR than HPV-positive cancers and this expression correlates with pAkt protein, indicating EGFR as an upstream regulator of Akt signalling in PSCC. Conversely, HER3 expression is significantly more common in HPV-positive cases and positively correlates with cytoplasmic Akt1 expression. HER4 and PTEN protein expression are not related to HPV infection. Our results suggest that PSCC patients could benefit from therapies developed to target HER receptors.Peer reviewedFinal Published versio

Ki67 Is an Independent Predictor of Recurrence in the Largest Randomized Trial of 3 Radiation Fractionation Schedules in Localized Prostate Cancer

Purpose: To assess whether the cellular proliferation marker Ki67 provides prognostic information and predicts response to radiation therapy fractionation in patients with localized prostate tumors participating in a randomized trial of 3 radiation therapy fractionation schedules (74 Gy/37 fractions vs 60 Gy/20 fractions vs 57 Gy/19 fractions). Methods and Materials: A matched case–control study design was used; patients with biochemical/clinical failure >2 years after radiation therapy (BCR) were matched 1:1 to patients without recurrence using established prognostic factors (Gleason score, prostate-specific antigen, tumor stage) and fractionation schedule. Immunohistochemistry was used to stain diagnostic biopsy specimens for Ki67, which were scored using the unweighted global method. Conditional logistic regression models estimated the prognostic value of mean and maximum Ki67 scores on BCR risk. Biomarker–fractionation interaction terms determined whether Ki67 was predictive of BCR by fractionation. Results: Using 173 matched pairs, the median for mean and maximum Ki67 scores were 6.6% (interquartile range, 3.9%-9.8%) and 11.0% (interquartile range, 7.0%-15.0%) respectively. Both scores were significant predictors of BCR in models adjusted for established prognostic factors. Conditioning on matching variables and age, the odds of BCR were estimated to increase by 9% per 1% increase in mean Ki67 score (odds ratio 1.09; 95% confidence interval 1.04-1.15, P =.001). Interaction terms between Ki67 and fractionation schedules were not statistically significant. Conclusions: Diagnostic Ki67 did not predict BCR according to fractionation schedule in CHHiP; however, it was a strong independent prognostic factor for BCR

Prognostic significance of erythropoietin expression in human renal cell carcinoma

Objectives To investigate, in a retrospective study, the expression of erythropoietin (Epo) in human renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and its correlation with overall survival, as Epo (an haematopoietic cytokine that regulates the production of red blood cells), with its receptor, was recently localized in non-haematopoietic tissues, e.g. liver, uterus, central nervous system, vascular endothelial cells and solid tumours. Patients and methods We used data from 113 patients who had radical nephrectomy for RCC between 1990 and 2000, taking sections from formalin-fixed and paraffin wax-embedded tissue blocks. The association between Epo staining and the patients’ characteristics was assessed by either chi-squared tests (for categorical variables) or two-sample independent t-tests (for continuous variables). Results Tissue from 37 patients (33%) was positive for cytoplasmic Epo expression; 76 (67%) samples were negative. Univariate hazard ratio analysis confirmed that those with positive Epo staining were more than twice as likely to die as those with negative staining (hazard ratio 2.34, 95% confidence interval 1.27-4.3). Conclusion This study shows that the expression of Epo in RCC is adversely associated with overall survival. This is the first report of such an association, and might be explained by the loss of Von Hippel-Lindau protein function in clear cell RCC. The expression of Epo might have potential use in clinical trials when stratifying high-risk patients for adjuvant therapy after nephrectomy

Multi-candidate immunohistochemical markers to assess radiation response and prognosis in prostate cancer: results from the CHHiP trial of radiotherapy fractionation

BACKGROUND: Protein markers of cellular proliferation, hypoxia, apoptosis, cell cycle checkpoints, growth factor signalling and inflammation in localised prostate tumours have previously shown prognostic ability. A translational substudy within the CHHiP trial of radiotherapy fractionation evaluated whether these could improve prediction of prognosis and assist treatment stratification following either conventional or hypofractionated radiotherapy. METHODS: Using case:control methodology, patients with biochemical or clinical failure after radiotherapy (BCR) were matched to patients without recurrence according to established prognostic factors (Gleason score, presenting PSA, tumour-stage) and fractionation schedule. Immunohistochemical (IHC) staining of diagnostic biopsy sections was performed and scored for HIF1α, Bcl-2, Ki67, Geminin, p16, p53, p-chk1 and PTEN. Univariable and multivariable conditional logistic regression models, adjusted for matching strata and age, estimated the prognostic value of each IHC biomarker, including interaction terms to determine BCR prediction according to fractionation. FINDINGS: IHC results were available for up to 336 tumours. PTEN, Geminin, mean Ki67 and max Ki67 were prognostic after adjusting for multiple comparisons and were fitted in a multivariable model (n = 212, 106 matched pairs). Here, PTEN and Geminin showed significant prediction of prognosis. No marker predicted BCR according to fractionation. INTERPRETATION: Geminin or Ki67, and PTEN, predicted response to radiotherapy independently of established prognostic factors. These results provide essential independent external validation of previous findings and confirm a role for these markers in treatment stratification. FUNDING: 10.13039/501100000289Cancer Research UK (BIDD) grant (A12518), 10.13039/501100000289Cancer Research UK (C8262/A7253), Department of Health, 10.13039/501100000771Prostate Cancer UK, 10.13039/100008719Movember Foundation, NIHR Biomedical Research Centre at 10.13039/100012139Royal Marsden/ICR

Methodology for tissue sample collection within a translational sub-study of the CHHiP trial (CRUK/06/016), a large randomised phase III trial in localised prostate cancer

Background: This article presents the methodology for tissue sample collection in Trans-CHHiP, the main translational study within the CHHiP (Conventional or Hypofractionated High dose intensity modulated radiotherapy in Prostate cancer, ISRCTN 97182923) trial. The CHHiP trial randomised 3216 men with localised prostate cancer to 3 different radiotherapy fractionation schedules. Trans-CHHiP aims to identify biomarkers of fraction sensitivity. Methods: We outline the process of tissue collection, including central review by a study-specific specialist uropathologist and comparison of the centrally-assigned Gleason grade group with that assigned by the recruiting-centre pathologist. Results: 2047 patients provided tissue from 107 pathology departments between August 2012 and April 2014. A highly motivated Clinical Trials Unit chasing samples and a central Trans-CHHiP group that regularly reviewed progress were important for successful sample collection. Agreement in Gleason grade group assigned by the recruiting centre pathologist and the central study-specific uropathologist occurred in 886 out of 1854 (47.8%) cases. Key lessons learned were the need for prospective consent for tissue collection when recruiting patients to the main trial, and the importance of Material Transfer Agreement (MTA) integration into the initial trial site agreement. Conclusions: This methodology enabled collection of 2047 patient samples from a large randomised radiotherapy trial. Central pathological review is important to minimise subjectivity in Gleason grade grouping and the impact of grade shift. Keywords: Sample collection methodology, Prostate cancer biopsies, Translational stud