OXIDATIVE stress-related biomarkers may help predict biochemical recurrence in patients with prostate cancer, according to a study identifying a novel risk prediction model and a candidate gene associated with tumour progression.
The findings highlighted the potential prognostic significance of lysosomal associated membrane protein 5 (LAMP5), whose experimental suppression reduced prostate cancer cell proliferation, migration, and invasion.
Researchers investigated the relationship between oxidative stress and biochemical recurrence in prostate cancer, aiming to identify molecular biomarkers that could support recurrence risk prediction.
The study analysed RNA sequencing data from 495 prostate cancer samples and 151 normal prostate tissue samples obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas and Genotype-Tissue Expression databases.
Differentially expressed genes were identified by comparing tumour and normal tissues, while single-cell RNA sequencing data were analysed to identify cell populations exhibiting oxidative stress activity.
Researchers subsequently combined differentially expressed genes with markers from oxidative stress-active cell subgroups to develop a biochemical recurrence risk score model.
The model was constructed using least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression and subsequently evaluated for its ability to predict biochemical recurrence.
The oxidative stress-based model demonstrated reliable and stable predictive performance for biochemical recurrence in patients with prostate cancer.
Researchers also observed potential differences in tumour-infiltrating immune cell composition between patients classified into high-risk and low-risk groups.
Further analysis using random forest modelling and correlations with immune checkpoint genes identified LAMP5 as an important predictor of biochemical recurrence.
To investigate its potential biological role, researchers conducted laboratory experiments involving PC3 and DU145 prostate cancer cell lines.
Small interfering RNA-mediated knockdown of LAMP5 markedly reduced cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in both cell lines, suggesting a potential role in processes associated with prostate cancer progression.
The findings suggested that oxidative stress-related gene expression patterns may provide useful information for predicting biochemical recurrence risk in prostate cancer.
Identification of LAMP5 as a candidate prognostic biomarker also highlighted a potential molecular contributor to malignant behaviour.
However, the experimental findings were derived from prostate cancer cell lines and did not establish whether targeting LAMP5 would improve patient outcomes.
Overall, the study supported further investigation of oxidative stress biomarkers and LAMP5 in prostate cancer prognosis, with additional clinical validation needed to establish their potential applications.
Reference
Wu P et al. Oxidative stress-related signature predicts biochemical recurrence and identifies LAMP5 as a candidate prognostic biomarker in prostate cancer. BMC Urology. 2026.
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