Expression Profiles of IGF1, EGF, and FGF2 Genes in Patients With Prostate Cancer in Isfahan Province, Iran

Prostate cancer is the second most prevalent cancer among men all over the world. Over the past 10 years, prostate cancer prevalence has increased in Iran. Growth factors have an important role in the regulation and growth of malignant and normal prostate cells. Therefore, the purpose of this investigation is to examine the association of the expression profile of IGF1, EGF, and FGF2 with prostate cancer in an Iranian male population.

In this investigation, the quantitative real-time RT-PCR technique was applied to evaluate the expression profiles of IGF, EGF, and FGF2 in the peripheral blood samples of 40 patients with prostate cancer and 40 healthy individuals. Moreover, the relative expressions of IGF1, EGF, and FGF2 in various stages of disease were evaluated.

Our obtained data indicated a significant increase in the expression of EGF and FGF2 in patients with prostate cancer compared with the healthy subjects (P=0.02 and P=0.009, respectively). In contrast, the expression level of IGF1 was not significantly different between the patients and controls (P=0.052), but the expression level of IGF1 was lower in the patients’ group. Additionally, it has been observed that IGF1, EGF, and FGF2 expression were directly associated with the stage of disease.

Our results suggest that EGF and FGF2 probably have important role in prostate cancer and were consistent with what had previously been reported. On the other hand, our data revealed no association between the expression of IGF1 and prostate cancer in the population studied.