Prognostic Value of a Mitochondrial Functional Score in Prostate Cancer

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the utility of a mitochondrial functional score in predicting the progress of prostate cancer. METHODS: This retrospective study included 72 patients (mean age 70.1 years) with prostate cancer who were treated by radical prostatectomy between October 2006 and March 2007. The epithelioglandular mitochondrial functional scores were assessed according to the Flameng grading. Patients were divided into six groups (groups 1 – 6) according to their Gleason score (Gleason score 2 – 7, respectively). The correlation between Gleason score and mitochondrial functional score was examined using Pearson's correlation coefficient. RESULTS: The mean mitochondrial functional score was significantly lower in group 6 compared with group 1. An inverse correlation was found between the Gleason and mitochondrial functional scores. At 1 year, significantly fewer patients in group 1 had died (0/15 patients) than in group 6 (2/10 patients); the deaths were cancer-related. CONCLUSIONS: Mitochondrial dysfunction exists in patients with prostate cancer, particularly in cases with a higher degree of malignancy. The mitochondrial functional score, combined with the Gleason score, is beneficial for predicting the progress of prostate cancer.

Albumin-linked prostate-specific antigen-activated thapsigargin- and niclosamide-based molecular grenades targeting the microenvironment in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer

“…, lacks the Warburg effect), but instead shunts glucose carbons toward lipogenesis [36] . This is also consistent with why prostate cancer cells have a striking increase in the number and pleomorphism of mitochondria [38] , [39] , [40] .…”

Morphological and functional alterations of the prostate tissue during clinical progression in hormonally‑naïve, hormonally‑treated and castration‑resistant patients with metastatic prostate cancer

“…The changes in the ultrastructure of prostate cancer secretory cells reported in the present study were consistent with previous findings ( 15 – 18 ). The current study demonstrated the high incidence of hyperchromatic nuclei and compact nucleoli in prostate cancer secretory cells.…”

“…Ultrastructural changes of prostate cancer cells compared with normal or hypertrophic prostate cells are well known and have been reported by numerous researchers (15)(16)(17)(18). It has been demonstrated that cancer prostate secretory cells present with hyperchromatosis of the nucleus, hypertrophy of the nucleus and nucleolus, an increased number of pleiomorphic mitochondria, various configurations and positions of Golgi complexes and increased amount of lipid droplets of different morphology (15).…”

“…It has been demonstrated that cancer prostate secretory cells present with hyperchromatosis of the nucleus, hypertrophy of the nucleus and nucleolus, an increased number of pleiomorphic mitochondria, various configurations and positions of Golgi complexes and increased amount of lipid droplets of different morphology (15). In prostate cancer cells, an increase in the number of mitochondria of different morphology has been reported in patients with a high degree of prostate malignancy according to the Gleason score (18).…”

Comparison of the structure, function and autophagic maintenance of mitochondria in nigrostriatal and tuberoinfundibular dopamine neurons

“…In order to investigate the ultrastructural integrity of individual mitochondrion, morphology was examined in synaptosomes using transmission electron microscopy. Visualized mitochondrial morphology was semi-quantified to evaluate mitochondrial quality using Flameng grading (Sun et al, 2012; Flameng et al, 1980). The Flameng mitochondrial score evaluates mitochondrial function based on the mitochondrial morphology using an ordinal scale of 1 through 5.…”