Immunotherapy of Prostate Cancer Patients could Overexpress The Virulence Factor Genes of E.faecalis

Abstract

Prostate cancer is the most prevalent and second cause of death from cancer in men worldwide. Immunotherapy is a new method for the treatment of several cancers that fights cancer cells by strengthening the immune system through some medications. While immunotherapy is a useful method for cancer treatment; its side effects still are not totally clarified. Numbers of prostate cancer patients which take immunotherapy are experiencing prostate inflammation and prostatitis after treatment period. Enterococcus faecalis is Gram-positive and catalase-negative cocci that are common in the intestines of humans and other animals and cause most enterococcal infections such as intestinal infections, prostatitis, gastroenteritis and endocarditic. Present study aimed to evaluate the mRNA level of virulence genes which are involved in Enterococcus faecalis pathogenesis in prostate cancer patients that treated by immunotherapy. Expression level of gelatinase E (gelE) and Enterococcal surface protein (esp) genes were examined by Real time PCR in three groups of 68 male subjects. Group A normal subjects, group B prostate cancer patients before start treatment and group C prostate cancer patients after six months immunotherapy period. Results were showed significant (P<0.05) over expression of both genes (gelE and esp ) in group C against the group B. According to the results, it is reasonable that immunotherapy may have side effects such as increasing the pathogenicity risk of microflora in patients. Maybe these side effects could cause further infections after ending the immunotherapy of cancer. Antibiotic usage after or at the same time of immunotherapy period could prevent possible infections of microflora including E. faecalis.