Expression and clinical significance of apoptotic protease activating factor 1 and bax in prostate cancer

Abstract

Objective To investigate the expression and clinical significance of apoptotic protease activating factor 1 (Apaf-1) and bax in prostate cancer (PCa) and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Methods Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expression of Apaf-1 and bax in the tissues from 45 PCa patients and 60 BPH patients. Results The positive rates of Apaf-1 and bax in PCa tissues were 22.22 % (10/45) and 20.00 % (9/45), respectively, while those in BPH tissues were 48.33 % (29/60) and 46.67 % (28/60). There was a statistically significant difference in the expressions of Apaf-1 and bax between two groups (P 0.05), but they were correlated with the pathological grade and clinical stage of PCa (P < 0.05). The expressions of Apaf-1 and bax in PCa tissues were lower than those in BPH tissues. There was a positive correlation between the expression of Apaf-1 and bax (r = 0.535, P < 0.01). Conclusion Apaf-1 and bax might be correlated with the carcinogenesis and development of PCa. Key words: Prostatic neoplasms; Benign prostatic hyperplasia; Apoptotic protease activating factor 1; Bax