Evaluation of c-Myc mRNA Expression Level in Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia and Prostatic Adenocarcinoma Tissues and Its Correlation with Clinicopathological Characteristics

Background and Aims: Prostate cancer (PCa) is one of the most common cancers among men in Iran. Since changes in the regulation of proto-oncogenes expression are the main causes of most human cancers, including PCa, evaluating the expression of marker genes can be helpful for early diagnosis of cancer and better understanding of its etiology. The present study compared c-Myc expression level in prostatic adenocarcinoma and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Material and Methods: Paraffin-embedded prostatic tissues from patients with prostate adenocarcinoma (n=38) and BPH (n=38) were selected. The samples were included only if the patients underwent radical prostatectomy and had no history of hormone therapy, chemotherapy, or radiotherapy. After RNA extraction and cDNA synthesis, c-Myc expression in the samples was compared using SYBR green-based real-time polymerase chain reaction. Results: Significantly higher c-Myc mRNA expression was observed in adenocarcinoma samples than in BPH group (p=0.001). No significant correlation was observed between c-Myc expression and Gleason Score (p > 0.05). There were no significant correlations between c-Myc expression and prostate-specific antigen levels and age (p > 0.05). Conclusions: The c-Myc mRNA expression increased in the PCa samples compared with the BPH group. It seems that c-Myc expression can be introduced as a prognostic marker for determination of the invasive potential of tumor cells. Further tests and studies conducted with larger sample sizes may help to use this marker in differentiating malignant from benign samples.