Heterogeneity Of SPOP Protein Expression In Prostate Cancer:Whole Tissue Section Mapping Research Of Specimens After Radical Prostatectomy

Objective: To investigate the heterogeneity of SPOP expression in different tumor areas in patients with prostate cancer,and to analyze the distribution of SPOP protein in different tumor areas of the same prostate,and to analyze the correlation between SPOP protein expression distribution and tumor grades,tumor stage,Gleason scores,age and other indicators,to summarize the distribution characteristics of SPOP protein.Methods: A total of 33 postoperative specimens of radical prostatectomy performed by the same surgical team from June 2017 to December 2018 in the Department of Urology,Northern Jiangsu People’s Hospital were included in the study.Whole tissue paraffin sections were made.All cancerous foci were found by HE staining,and the expression of SPOP protein in prostate cancer foci was further observed by immunohistochemical technique,and to analyze the correlation between SPOP protein expression and clinical features.Results: 1.33 specimens of prostate in this study contained 75 tumor foci,with an average of 2.27 foci per prostate,12 foci in 1 prostate cancer and 8 foci in 8 prostate cancers.There are 3 foci in prostate cancer,4 foci in 4 prostate cancers,and 5 foci in 2 prostate cancers.SPOP protein was not expressed in 6 foci,and SPOP protein was positive in 61 foci,and 8 foci were heterogeneous expression of SPOP protein.The normal tissues in the large prostate sections of all 33 patients were normal expression of SPOP protein,and the foci diameter of prostate cancer was inversely proportional to the number of foci contained in each patient.2.At the foci level,the frequency of SPOP protein expression heterogeneity is directly proportional to the diameter of the foci;the frequency of SPOP protein expression heterogeneity is directly proportional to the Gleason scores of the foci;SPOP protein expression level is inversely proportional to the Gleason score of the lesion 3.At the patient level,among the 33 patients Immunohistochemical staining of 25 patients showed SPOP positive(75.8%),1 showed homogeneous SPOP negative(3.0%),and 7(21.2%)showed heterogeneous SPOP protein expression.Among patients with SPOP heterogeneity expression at 7 patient levels,only 1 patient(3.0%)showed differences only between different tumor foci(interstitial heterogeneity),6 patients(18.2%)showed the heterogeneity of SPOP protein expression appeared in one or several tumor foci(intra-focal heterogeneity);the expression level of SPOP protein was not correlated with pathological stage and patient age.Conclusion: In summary,these data indicate that the diameter of prostate cancer is inversely proportional to the number of foci in each patient;SPOP protein is normally expressed in most prostate cancer foci,and expression is absent or heterogeneous only in a small number of prostate cancer foci.At the level of foci,the frequency of SPOP protein expression heterogeneity is directly proportional to the diameter and Gleason scores of the foci;at the patient level,the expression level of SPOP protein is not correlated with pathological stage and patient age.In the future,a larger sample should be followed up for a longer period of time,which provides a reference for SPOP protein as a marker of molecular subtypes and for future personalized treatment of prostate cancer.