Expression of A20 protein in prostate cancer tissues and its relationship with postoperative recurrence and survival

This study aimed to investigate the expression of A20 protein in prostate cancer tissues and its relationship with postoperative recurrence and survival. 86 patients with prostate cancer received surgery were collected as observation group, while 20 cases of benign prostatic hyperplasia were selected as control group in our hospital during June 2012 to June 2015. RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry were used to detect A20 mRNA and protein levels in both prostate cancer tissues and prostatic tissues respectively. Next patients in observation group were divided into A20 positive group and A20 negative group according to A20 gene expression. Finally, we analyzed the association of A20 gene expression and the prognosis of patients with prostate cancer. Compared with normal prostatic tissues, A20 mRNA and protein levels significantly were increased in prostate cancer tissues (P<0.05), and there are 59 cases presenting A20 negative expression while 27 cases showing A20 positive expression in 86 cases of observation group. A20 expression rate in positive patients was positively correlated with the degree of tumor differentiation, and negatively correlated with tumor invasion depth, lymph node metastasis and clinical stage. 1-, 2- and 3-year cumulative recurrence rate of patients with A20 negative expression was significantly higher than that of A20 positive patients (P<0.05). 1-, 2- and 3-year cumulative survival rate in patients with A20 negative expression was significantly lower than that of A20 positive patients (P<0.05). In conclusion, A20 mRNA and protein positive expression in prostate cancer tissues are significant higher than those in control group, which indicates that A20 mRNA and protein expression is closely related to the pathologic features and prognosis of prostate cancer, so it can be an important auxiliary marker for the treatment of prostate cancer.