Expression And The Clinical Significance Of Metallothionein In Prostatic Carcinoma

Objective To investigate the expression and significance of metallothionein(MT) in prostatic carcinoma(PCa).To understand the role of MT in the course of tumor occurrence and development of PCa.Methods The expression of MT in 66 cases of different-grade prostatic carcinoma and 20 cases of benign prostatic hyperplasia were detected by PV6000 immunohistochemical technique.The correlation of MT expression with clinical stage,pathological grades,serum PSA and prognosis was analysed.Results The expression of MT in BPH was stable in almost all epithelial cells.In PCa,although some cells showed only cytoplamic staining,most cancer cells showed cytoplasmic and nuclear staining.The positive rate of MT expression in 20 cases of benign prostatic hyperplasia was 100%(20/20),while the overall expression rate of MT in prostatic carcinoma was 59.1%(39/66),the difference was significant(P<0.05).With the increase of Gleason scores and clinical stages,expression of MT increased (P<0.05).There was no realationship between MT expression and serum-PSA level and age(P>0.05).The survival rate was significantly different between positive- and negtive-MT groups(P<0.05).Conclusion MT might play an important role in the carcinogenesis of prostatic carcinoma.Abnomal exprssion of MT may offer evidence for diagnosis,treatment and prognosis in prostatic carcinoma.