Relation of AR and GR Expressions to Biological Behavior of Prostate Cancer

Objective To explore the variation of androgen receptor(AR)and glucocorticoid receptor(GR)in prostate tissues and the relation to biological behavior of prostate cancer(PCa).Methods Total 57 cases of PCa were graded according to Gleason score and were divided into androgen dependent PCa(ADPC,n=39)and androgen independent PCa(AIPC,n=18)according to clinical effect of androgen-ablation.The expression of AR and GR protein were detected by immunohistochemistry in tissue specimens obtained from PCa patients by operation and the relation between the expressions of AR and GR and Gleason grade was analyzed,with 15 cases of normal prostate(NP)and 25 cases of benign prostatic hyperplasia(BPH)tissues as control.Results The expression of AR decreased gradually and GR increased gradually from(NP),BPH to ADPC tissues,But the expression of AR decreased in AIPC significantly and GR expression increased significantly(P0.05).The expression of AR decreased and GR increased gradually with increase of Gleason grade in PCa tissues(P0.05).Conclusion GR may inhibit the differentiation of PCa cells,decreased AR expression and increased GR expression and the loss of equilibrium between AR and GR signal transduction pathway is an important cause for the progression of ADPC to AIPC after androgen-ablation.