ATP-binding cassette sub-family G member 2 (ABCG2) is a semi-transport protein that plays a major role in multidrug resistance. We aimed to evaluate the prognostic significance of ABCG2 expression in patients with clear cell renal cell carcinoma.
From 2008 to 2013, 120 patients with clear cell kidney cancer underwent surgery with paraffin-embedded specimens and necessary clinical information available. Immunohistochemistry staining was performed to grade the expression of ABCG2 as ABCG2(-): less than 10% of tumor cells stained; ABCG2(+): weak membrane staining; and ABCG2(++): moderate or strong membrane staining. The overall survival was analyzed using Kaplan-Meier method. Multivariable Cox regression evaluated the independent predictors for overall survival.
ABCG2(-) was diagnosed in 57 (48%) patients, ABCG2(+) in 52 (43%) patients, and ABCG2 (++) in 11(9.2%) patients. ABCG2 expression significantly correlated with the five-year survival (p < 0.001) and distant metastasis (p = 0.001). In the multivariable analysis, besides Fuhrman grade, the ABCG2 expression was an independent prognostic marker for overall survival (p < 0.001) when incorporating other relevant tumor and clinical parameters (HR = 3.84, 95% CI: 1.92-7.70).
The current data suggests that ABCG2 may serve as a prognostic marker for overall survival in patients with clear cell renal cell carcinoma. Further studies with large cohorts of patients will be essential for validating these findings and defining the clinical utility of ABCG2 in the patient population.
BMC cancer. 2017 Mar 27*** epublish ***
Haofei Wang, Fangxiu Luo, Zhe Zhu, Zhaoping Xu, Xin Huang, Renyi Ma, Hongchao He, Yu Zhu, Kun Shao, Juping Zhao
Department of Urology, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai JiaoTong University School of Medicine, Building 6th, Floor 6th, 197# Ruijin 2nd road, Shanghai, 200025, China., Ruijin North Hospital, Department of Pathology, Shanghai JiaoTong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 201801, China., Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Cleveland Clinic, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland, OH, 44195, USA., Department of Urology, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai JiaoTong University School of Medicine, Building 6th, Floor 6th, 197# Ruijin 2nd road, Shanghai, 200025, China. .