Objective: To determine whether the immune score and methylation levels of transcription factor 21 (TCF21) could be used as independent diagnostic indicators and prognostic predictors in prostate cancer (PCA).
Study design: A descriptive study.
Place and duration of study: Department of Urology, Quanzhou First Hospital Affiliated to Fujian Medical University, from November 2017 to December 2019.
Methodology: Cases of PCA were for numbers of CD3+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes in the nests and stromal regions of PCA tissues. The percentage of CD8+ T lymphocytes in the peripheral blood was measured. TCF21 methylation was detected. The patient samples were classified according to risk-factor level, the immune score and TCF21 methylation levels were subsequently determined. The time of effective hormone therapy was calculated. The relationships among immune score, TCF21 methylation level, PCA risk-factor level and the time of effective hormone therapy were determined.
Results: There was no significant difference of the proportions of CD8+ T cells in the peripheral blood between different T stage groups and different Gleason scores groups. The authors found negative linear relationships between immune score and risk-factor level, PSA level and Gleason score (p <0.001). The linear relationship of the immune score with T stage was not significant (p >0.05). The immune score correlated with the time of effective hormone therapy (p =0.002). There was significant correlation between TCF21 methylation and PSA, Gleason score, risk-factor level and immune score (p <0.05).There was also no significant correlation between TCF21 methylation and T stage (p >0.05).
Conclusion: The immune score and TCF21 methylation could be used as independent indicators for the diagnosis and prognosis of PCA. Key Words: Prostatic neoplasms, Immunity cellular, DNA methylation.