18F–Choline PET/CT Identifies High-Grade Prostate Cancer Lesions Expressing Bone Biomarkers

Abstract

The main aim of this study was to investigate the possible association between 18F–choline uptake and histopathological features of prostate biopsies such as the Gleason Group and the expression of both epithelial to mesenchymal transition (vimentin) and bone mineralization (bone morphogenetics protein (BMP)-2, runt-related transcription factor 2 (RUNX2), receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand (RANKL), vitamin D receptor (VDR), and pentraxin 3 (PTX3) in situ biomarkers. To this end, we enrolled 79 consecutive prostate cancer patients that underwent both the 18F–choline PET/CT analysis and the prostate bioptic procedure. The standardized uptake value (SUV) average values were collected from 18F–choline PET/CT analysis whereas Gleason Group and immunostaining data were collected from paraffin-embedded sections. Histological classification showed a heterogenous population including both low/intermediate and high-grade prostate cancers. A significant increase of 18F–choline uptake in high-grade prostate lesions (Gleason Score ≥8) was found. Also, linear regression analysis showed a significant correlation between 18F–choline uptake and the number of vimentin, RANKL, VDR, or PTX3 positive prostate cancer cells. Conversely, we observed no significant association between 18F–choline uptake and the expression of bone biomarkers involved in the early phases of osteoblast differentiation (BMP-2, RUNX2). In conclusion, results here reported can lay the foundation for the use of 18F–choline positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) as a diagnostic tool capable of identifying high-grade prostate cancer lesions expressing bone biomarkers.

LncRNA H19 promotes odontoblastic differentiation of human dental pulp stem cells by regulating miR-140-5p and BMP-2/FGF9

“…Furthermore, the results showed that the odontogenic capacity of BMP-2 was better than that of FGF9. It is well recognized that BMP-2 is a critical growth factor and important biomarker involved in osteo/odontoblastic differentiation and bone formation [41][42][43]. Our results revealed the similar trend that BMP-2 offered a strong signal for differentiation and mineralization of hDPSCs, but was different from Lu et al [44] which indicated that exogenous FGF9 suppress osteogenic differentiation.…”

The Paradox Effect of Calcification in Carotid Atherosclerosis: Microcalcification Is Correlated with Plaque Instability

“…The study of the mechanisms involved in the formation of ectopic calcifications, as well as the characterization of the prognostic value of these calcium deposits, represent an intriguing challenge for biomedical research. Indeed, the presence of ectopic calcifications is considered a clinical sign of tissue degeneration in numerous human diseases such as atherosclerosis, breast cancer, prostate cancer, and neurological disorders [ 9 , 11 , 12 , 27 ].…”

Molecular and Functional Analysis of Choline Transporters and Antitumor Effects of Choline Transporter-Like Protein 1 Inhibitors in Human Pancreatic Cancer Cells

“…Inhibition of these choline-uptake functions was reported to induce apoptotic cell death [ 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 ]. PET/CT imaging using 18 F- and 11 C-choline captures a very high accumulation of choline in tumors [ 13 , 14 , 15 ]. This choline accumulation in tumors is thought to be related to increased choline uptake due to increased cell-membrane synthesis associated with active cell proliferation, which is reported in many cancers [ 16 , 17 ].…”