High ERα36 expression level and membrane location predict poor prognosis in renal cell carcinoma

Abstract

Estrogen receptor alpha 36 (ERa36), a truncated variant of ERa, is located in cytoplasm and membrane that is different from other nuclear receptors of ERa family. ERa36 is involved in progression and treatment resistance of a variety of carcinomas. However, the clinical and prognostic significance of ERa36 in renal tumors have not been fully elucidated. Here, renal tumor tissues from 125 patients were collected and immunohistochemical stained with ERa36 antibody. ERa36 expression level and location in these cases were analyzed for their correlations with clinical characteristics. The differential diagnosis value was also assessed for benign and malignant renal tumors, as well as its prognostic value. The results showed that membrane ERa36 expression was rarely detected in benign tumors but predominantly observed inmalignant renal tumors. Kaplan-Meier analysis indicated that significant correlations of high ERa36 level and ERa36 membrane expression were correlated with both poor disease-free survival and overall survival. Univariate and multivariate analysis confirmed that both ERa36 high expression and membrane location can serve as unfavorable prognostic indicators for renal cell carcinoma. It is thus concluded that membrane ERa36 expression is valuable for differential diagnosis of malignant renal tumors from benign ones. Both ERa36 high expression and membrane location indicate poor prognosis in renal cell carcinoma.