Prognostic significance of YWHAZ expression in localized prostate cancer

BACKGROUND: Prostate cancer (PCa) patients are often over-treated because of the lack of biomarkers needed to distinguish the lethal from the indolent form of PCa. YWHAZ was recently identified as a potential therapeutic target in castration-resistant PCa (CRPC). Therefore, this study focused on determining the prognostic significance of YWHAZ in localized PCa. METHODS: YWHAZ expression was assessed by immunohistochemistry on formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue from 213 men who underwent radical prostatectomy. Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox proportional-hazards models were, used to assess the prognostic value of YWHAZ intensity. RESULTS: High YWHAZ expression was strongly associated with high Gleason score at the time of diagnosis (P<0.001) and PSA relapse (P=0.001). Importantly, patients with high expression of YWHAZ had a higher risk of CRPC development (P=0.002) and reduced survival time (P=0.002). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that YWHAZ could serve as a promising prognostic biomarker in localized PCa to predict poor prognosis and to identify a subgroup of tumors, which might benefit from earlier adjuvant or YWHAZ-targeted therapy.