Purpose: Primary urethral cancer (PUC) is an uncommon malignancy with scarce diagnostic and treatment options, resulting in a limited understanding of its genetic foundation. This exploratory study compares gene expression profiles between urethral cancer and histologically normal urethral tissue from penile cancer patients (HN-PC). Materials and Methods: Twenty-three urethral specimens (13 malignant and 10 HN-PC) were collected between 2015 and 2023. RNA was isolated and analyzed via bulk RNA sequencing. Differentially expressed genes were identified, and multiple enrichment analysis techniques were performed including gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA), gene ontology analysis, and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis. Results: A total of 1,212 significantly differentially expressed genes (false discovery rate [FDR] <0.01) were recognized with strong differentiation between the 2 cohorts. Twenty-two GSEA gene sets were identified as significantly enriched (FDR <0.01) with 392 significantly upregulated (FDR <0.01 and log2 fold change >1) genes within the leading edges. Gene ontology analysis highlighted chromosome organization, cell cycle regulation/processes, nuclear division, and tissue development. KEGG analysis revealed similar findings with the addition of enhanced viral protein interactions. Conclusion Next-generation sequencing revealed several genes and pathways commonly altered in PUC and also offered a set of new targets for future diagnostic and therapeutic trials.

A cure cannot be assured for all men with clinically localized prostate cancer undergoing radical treatment. Molecular markers would be invaluable if they could improve the prediction of occult metastatic disease. This study was carried out to investigate the expression of BCL-2, Ki-67, p53 and E-cadherin in radical prostatectomy specimens. We sought to assess their ability to predict early biochemical relapse in a specific therapeutic setting. Eighty-two patients comprising 41 case pairs were matched for pathological stage, Gleason grade and preoperative prostate-specific antigen (PSA) concentration. One patient in each pair had biochemical recurrence (defined as PSA >or= 0.2 ng mL(-1) within 2 years of surgery) and the other remained biochemically free of disease (defined as undetectable PSA at least 3 years after surgery). Immunohistochemical analysis was performed to assess marker expression on four replicate tissue microarrays constructed with benign and malignant tissue from each radical prostatectomy specimen. Ki-67, p53 and BCL-2, but not E-cadherin, were significantly upregulated in prostate adenocarcinoma compared with benign prostate tissue (P < 0.01). However, no significant differences in expression of any of the markers were observed when comparing patients who developed early biochemical relapse with patients who had no biochemical recurrence. This study showed that expression of p53, BCL-2 and Ki-67 was upregulated in clinically localized prostate cancer compared with benign prostate tissue, with no alteration in E-cadherin expression. Biomarker upregulation had no prognostic value for biochemical recurrence after radical prostatectomy, even after considering pathological stage, whole tumour Gleason grade and preoperative serum PSA level.
Adenocarcinoma ; diagnosis ; metabolism ; surgery ; Aged ; Biomarkers, Tumor ; metabolism ; Cadherins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Case-Control Studies ; Gene Expression Profiling ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic ; Humans ; Ki-67 Antigen ; genetics ; metabolism ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prognosis ; Prostate ; metabolism ; pathology ; Prostate-Specific Antigen ; blood ; Prostatectomy ; Prostatic Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; metabolism ; surgery ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 ; genetics ; metabolism ; Risk Factors ; Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 ; genetics ; metabolism