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PARP expression in germ cell tumours
  1. Michal Mego1,2,3,
  2. Zuzana Cierna4,
  3. Daniela Svetlovska2,3,
  4. Dusan Macak5,
  5. Katarina Machalekova5,
  6. Viera Miskovska1,6,
  7. Michal Chovanec1,2,3,
  8. Vanda Usakova6,
  9. Jana Obertova1,2,
  10. Pavel Babal4,
  11. Jozef Mardiak1,3
  1. 1Department of Medical Oncology, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia
  2. 2Translational Research Unit, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia
  3. 3Department of Medical Oncology, National Cancer Institute, Bratislava, Slovakia
  4. 4Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia
  5. 5Department of Pathology, St Elisabeth Cancer Institute, Bratislava, Slovakia
  6. 6Department of Medical Oncology, St Elisabeth Cancer Institute, Bratislava, Slovakia
  1. Correspondence to Dr Michal Mego, Department of Medical Oncology, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University, National Cancer Institute, Klenova 1, Bratislava 83310, Slovak Republic; misomego{at}gmail.com

Abstract

Background Poly(ADP-ribose)polymerase (PARP) inhibitors represent a new class of promising drugs in anticancer therapy.

Aims To evaluate PARP expression in testicular germ cell tumours (GCTs) and to correlate expression patterns with clinicopathological variables.

Methods In this translational study, tumour specimens from 124 patients with GCTs (114 patients with testicular primary tumours and 10 with extragonadal GCTs) were identified. PARP expression was detected by immunohistochemistry using monoclonal antibodies, scored by the multiplicative quickscore (QS) method and compared to PARP expression in normal testicular tissue.

Results We observed higher expression of PARP in testicular tumours compared to normal testicular tissue (mean QS=10.04 vs 3.31, p<0.0000001). Mean QS±SD for each histological subtype was as follows: intratubular germ cell neoplasia unclassified (IGCNU)=18.00±0.00, embryonal carcinoma=9.62±5.64, seminoma=9.74±6.51, yolk sac tumour=7.8±7.20, teratoma=5.87±5.34, and choriocarcinoma=4.50±8.33. The PARP overexpression (QS>9) was most often detected in IGCNU (100% of specimen with PARP overexpression), seminona (52.6%), embryonal carcinoma (47.0%), yolk sac tumour (33.3%), teratoma (26.7%) and choriocarcinoma (25.0%), compared to 1.9% of normal testicular tissue specimens. There was no association between PARP expression and clinical variables.

Conclusions In this pilot study, we showed for the first time, that PARP is overexpressed in testicular germ cell tumours compared to normal testis.

  • TESTIS
  • ONCOLOGY
  • IMMUNOHISTOCHEMISTRY

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