High expression of heat shock proteins and heat shock factor‐1 distinguishes an aggressive subset of clear cell renal cell carcinoma

摘要

Aims Heat shock proteins ( HSP s) are a group of molecules induced by a variety of environmental and pathophysiological stresses, including cancer. HSPs are implicated in the regulation of apoptosis and immunity in neoplasm. Transcription factor heat shock factor 1 ( HSF 1) acts as the master regulator to control HSP expression, and is therefore involved in tumorigenesis. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the expression and clinicopathological relevance of HSP s and HSF 1 in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (cc RCC ). Methods and results The expression of HSP 27, HSP 60, HSP 70, HSP 90 and HSF 1 was assessed in 428 cases of cc RCC using immunohistochemistry. High expression of HSP 60 and HSP 70 was correlated positively with grade and stage. High expression of HSF 1 was correlated positively with stage. Univariate and multivariate analyses demonstrated that 216 patients (52%) with tumour expressing three or four markers in a panel of HSP 60, HSP 70, HSP 90 and HSF 1 had a significantly heightened risk for cancer‐specific mortality than tumours expressing fewer than three markers ( P ??0.0001; concordance index, 0.81). Conclusions Immunohistochemical examination of HSP s and HSF 1 provides useful prognostic information that may contribute to the design of therapeutic strategies for patients with cc RCC .