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. 2019 May 1;14(1):33.
doi: 10.1186/s13000-019-0810-8.

SNW1 is a prognostic biomarker in prostate cancer

Doris Höflmayer  1 , Carla Willich  1 , Claudia Hube-Magg  1 , Ronald Simon  2 , Dagmar Lang  1 , Emily Neubauer  1 , Frank Jacobsen  1 , Andrea Hinsch  1 , Andreas M Luebke  1 , Marie Christina Tsourlakis  1 , Hartwig Huland  3 , Markus Graefen  3 , Alexander Haese  3 , Hans Heinzer  3 , Sarah Minner  1 , Franziska Büscheck  1 , Guido Sauter  1 , Thorsten Schlomm  4 , Stefan Steurer  1 , Till S Clauditz  1 , Eike Burandt  1 , Waldemar Wilczak  1 , Christian Bernreuther  1
Affiliations

SNW1 is a prognostic biomarker in prostate cancer

Doris Höflmayer et al. Diagn Pathol. .

Abstract

Background: SNW1 is a nuclear receptor co-activator involved in splicing and transcription control, including androgen receptor signaling. Overexpression of SNW1 has been linked to adverse prognosis in different cancer types, but studies on the role of SNW1 in prostate cancer are lacking.

Methods: Using immunohistochemistry, we analyzed SNW1 expression in 10,310 prostate cancers in a tissue microarray (TMA) with attached clinical and molecular data.

Results: The comparison with normal prostate tissue revealed an up regulation of SNW1 in a subset of cancer samples. SNW1 staining was considered weak in 31.5%, moderate in 37.7% and strong in 14% of cancers. Strong SNW1 expression was markedly more frequent in prostate cancers harboring the TMPRSS2:ERG fusion (24%) than in ERG negative cancers (7%, p < 0.0001). Significant associations with Gleason grade, stage, nodal status and early biochemical recurrence were observed in the ERG negative and positive subset. Multivariable modeling revealed that the prognostic value of SNW1 up regulation was independent from the established preoperative histopathological and clinical parameters.

Conclusion: These results demonstrate that SNW1 overexpression is an independent prognostic marker in prostate cancer with potential clinical utility.

Keywords: Prognosis; Prostate cancer; SKIP1; SNW1; TMPRSS2:ERG.

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Conflict of interest statement

Ethics approval and consent to participate

The ethics committee of the Ärztekammer Hamburg approved this study (WF-049/09). According to local laws (HmbKHG, §12a) informed consent was not required for this study.

Consent for publication

Not applicable.

Competing interests

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Publisher’s Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Representative pictures of a) negative, b) weak, c) moderate and d) strong SNW1 staining in prostate cancer. Spot size is 600 μm at 100x and 400x (inset) magnification
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Association between positive SNW1 staining and ERG-status (Immunohistochemistry / FISH) in all cancers
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Association between SNW1 and androgen receptor expression
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Association between SNW1 expression and biochemical recurrence in a) all cancers, b) the ERG-fusion negative, and c) ERG-fusion positive subsets
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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