Abstract 2342: Characterization of inflammatory markers and mast cells in association with prostate cancer

Abstract

Abstract Evidence suggests that there is a strong association between chronic inflammation and prostate cancer development and/or progression. While chronic inflammation is known to serve as an “enabling characteristic” in many cancers, the mechanism whereby it contributes to carcinogenesis and progression is still very controversial. This is particularly true for cells of the innate immune system, such as mast cells, that have been shown to possess both pro- and anti-tumor properties. The role of mast cells in prostate cancer is of particular interest, as evidence suggests that they influence cancer progression and immune modulation. The current study seeks to characterize mast cell density and mast cell-to-epithelial ratio in relation to prostate cancer recurrence using a unique set of tissue microarrays (TMAs) from a case-control study nested in a cohort of prostate cancer patients who underwent radical prostatectomy. These studies are aided by novel digital image analysis using a software framework integrating whole slide imaging, virtual microscopy, and ImageJ based analysis algorithms. Our preliminary results, obtained via analysis of a prostate cancer TMA containing matched cancer and benign tissues from 727 cases of radical prostatectomy patients, correlated with the literature in that the mast cell density (mast cell number/total tissue area) was significantly higher in cancer versus benign (p = 0.0016). We will expanded this study to determine if mast cell number correlates with epithelial area in the same cohort and to examine mast cell density in correlation to the presence, grade, or progression of prostate cancer. Furthermore, we will be examining this in a large full tissue slide cohort in relation to Gleason grade and stage. Finally, we are expanding this study to explore a possible role for mast cells in the racial disparity in prostate cancer incidence and prognosis. Citation Format: Heidi Hempel, Ibrahim Kulac, Nathan S. Cuka, Toby C. Cornish, Elizabeth A. Platz, Angelo M. DeMarzo, Karen S. Sfanos. Characterization of inflammatory markers and mast cells in association with prostate cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 2342. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-2342