Assessment of Immunohistochemical Expression of SOX2 and its Prognostic Significance in Prostatic Adenocarcinoma

Abstract

Background: SOX2 is a transcription factor involved in the self-renewal and pluripotency of embryonic stem cells (ESCs). It is involved in various cancer types and affects cancer cell physiology viainvolvement in complicated cell signaling and protein-protein interactions. im: Our work aimedto assess the expression patterns of SOX2 in prostatic adenocarcinoma in correlation with the histopathological findings to evaluate its role as a prognostic marker or possible therapeutic target. Materials and Methods: forty-eight specimens of prostatic adenocarcinoma were stained first H&E then immunohistochemically for SOX2 and scored by two histopathologists. Results: thirty-eight specimens showed positive nuclear expression of SOX2; with variable degrees. SOX2 expression showed a statistically significant association with different grade groups; with p-value = 0.025. There was no statistically significant association between its expression and the patient’s demographic data. Conclusion: Overexpression of SOX2 in Prostatic Adenocarcinoma could be an indicator of higher tumor grade and poor prognosis. It could be used as a prognostic biomarker for tumor aggressiveness.