Bcl2 in advanced prostate cancer and its association with castration resistance

Introduction and aims The study of the anti-apoptotic protein, Bcl2, in localized prostate cancer has not been carried out in advanced stages of the disease. Therefore the aim of our study was to evaluate Bcl2 expression in advanced prostate cancer and identify its association with age, body weight, height, body mass index, prostate-specific antigen, testosterone, Gleason score, bone metastasis, disease duration, and time until the appearance of hormone resistance. Material and method A comparative study was conducted on 19 patients with castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) and 19 patients with hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (HSPC). Bcl2 was identified in a blinded manner through immunohistochemistry in prostate biopsies. Results Prostate-specific antigen was higher in patients with CRPC and disease duration was 39.71 months for CRPC and 23.89 months for HSPC. Resistance appeared at 30.05 months. There were no significant differences in relation to the other variables. Bcl2 was identified in 63.16% of the patients with CRPC and in 84.21% of those with HSPC, odds ratio 0.32, 95% CI: 0.07-1.45. There was mild staining intensity in 47.37% of the CRPC cases and moderate staining in 15.79%. Staining was mild in 57.89% of the HSPC patients and moderate in 26.32%. The differences were not significant. Correlation analysis showed a negative correlation trend between Bcl2 and body weight and a positive trend between Bcl2 and disease duration, with no statistical significance. Conclusion Bcl2 was identified in advanced prostate cancer and showed a trend toward greater expression in hormone-sensitive cancer. There was no correlation between Bcl2 and the clinical variables analyzed. However, there was a negative correlation between Bcl2 stain intensity and body weight and a positive trend between Bcl2 and disease duration.