High steap1 expression is associated with improved outcome of ewing's sarcoma patients

Abstract

Background: Ewing's sarcoma (ES) is the second most common bone or soft-tissue sarcoma in childhood and adolescence and features a high propensity to metastasize. The six-transmembrane epithelial antigen of the prostate 1 (STEAP1) is a membrane-bound mesenchymal stem cell marker highly expressed in ES. Here, we investigated the role of STEAP1 as an immunohistological marker for outcome prediction in patients with ES. Patients and methods: Membranous STEAP1 immunoreactivity was analyzed using immunohistochemistry in 114 primary pre-chemotherapy ES of patients diagnosed from 1983 to 2010 and compared with clinical parameters and patient outcome. Median follow-up was 3.85 years (range 0.43-17.51). Results: A total of 62.3% of the ES samples displayed detectable STEAP1 expression with predominant localization of the protein at the plasma membrane. High membranous STEAP1 immunoreactivity was found in 53.5%, which correlated with better overall survival (P = 0.021). Accordingly, no or low membranous STEAP1 expression was identified as an independent risk factor in multivariate analysis (hazard ratio 2.65, P = 0.036). Conclusion: High membranous STEAP1 expression predicts improved outcome and may help to define a specific subgroup of ES patients, who might benefit from adapted therapy regimens. © The Author 2012. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society for Medical Oncology. All rights reserved.