RU 22. CMTM2 expression in human testicular cancer by application of tissue microarray

Objective: To investigate the expression of gene CMTM2 in human testicular cancer and its clinicopathologic significance.

Methods: The expression levels of CMTM2 were detected in the testis tissues of the patients with different testicular cancer and normal men by tissue microarray and immunohistochemistry, and the results were analyzed.

Results: Immunohi stochemi str y exhibited posit ive expression of the CMTM2 protein in the testis of 73.3% (11/15) of the normal men, 65.4% (17/26) of the patients with seminoma, 57.1% (4/7) of the patients with teratoma, 25.0% (3/12) of the patients with embryonal carcinoma, and 40.0% (4/10) of those with yolk sac tumor. The expression levels of CMTM2 in tissues of the embryonal carcinoma and yolk sac tumor groups groups were shown to be significantly lower than that of the normal control (P<0.05, respectively), but those of the seminoma and teratoma groups exhibited no significant differences from that of the latter (P>0.05, respectively).

Conclusions: The significantly reduced expression of the CMTM2 protein in patients with embryonal carcinoma, yolk sac tumor indicates that CMTM2 may be a candidate cancer suppressor gene.