生物谷报道，美国科学家首次发现一种可预测前列腺癌术后复发的免疫分子，通过测定该分子水平，还有助于判断患者是否需要手术治疗。该研究结果发表在8月15日出版的《癌症研究》杂志上。
梅奥诊所的Eugene D Kwon医生在文章中称，这种名为B7-H3的分子位于前列腺癌细胞表面，参与关闭机体免疫应答过程，能够终止或阻止免疫细胞对癌细胞的攻击。他们在对338名行根治性前列腺切除术的男性进行随访研究的过程中发现，最具攻击性的肿瘤细胞该蛋白表达水平也最高。另一惊人的发现是，那些该蛋白水平最高的患者，其前列腺癌复发的危险性也最高。所有肿瘤和癌前病变组织均表达B7-H3，但高水平B7-H3患者癌症复发的可能性是低高水平患者的4倍，而中等水平B7-H3患者复发的风险提高35%。Kwon医生将B7-H3喻为占卜用的“水晶球”，它可预知术后肿瘤是否复发。此外，研究人员还认为，通过检测B7-H3水平，可确定手术治疗的适宜患者。研究人员还指出，通过阻断B7-H3，可使肿瘤对机体免疫应答更为敏感，因而它可能成为新的治疗靶点。
但有些专家对此持怀疑态度。布莱根妇女医院放射肿瘤科主任Dr. Anthony D'Amico 认为，该研究尚不能确定这一标记物与已知其它标记物相比，是否能够提供新的信息。美国癌症学会副会长Dr. Len Lichtenfeld指出，目前前列腺癌标记物研究目标是发现那些能够筛查出前列腺癌是否属于侵袭性类型的标记物，而这一新的标记物在这一方法或许有所帮助。他还认为将会发现更多的生物标记物，最终可通过检查癌症组织和这些标记物，能够找到可提供更多有关预后和治疗准确信息的特征。
Figure 1. A to C, B7-H3 expression is observed in prostate cancer tumors and increases with Gleason score: 19.2% of cases showed weak (A) intensity typically in Gleason pattern 3 + 3 tumors, 61.0% of cases showed moderate (B) tumor B7-H3 intensity typically in Gleason 3 + 4 tumors, and 19.8% of cases showed marked (C) tumor B7-H3 intensity in large neoplastic glands typically of Gleason 4 + 4 tumors.
原文出处：
Cancer Research August 15 2007, Volume 67, Issue 16
B7-H3 Ligand Expression by Prostate Cancer: A Novel Marker of Prognosis and Potential Target for Therapy
Timothy J. Roth, Yuri Sheinin, Christine M. Lohse, Susan M. Kuntz, Xavier Frigola, Brant A. Inman, Amy E. Krambeck, Maureen E. Mckenney, R. Jeffrey Karnes, Michael L. Blute, John C. Cheville, Thomas J. Sebo, and Eugene D. Kwon
Cancer Res 2007 67: 7893-7900. Published Online First August 8, 2007. doi: 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-07-1068 [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] Supplementary Data
相关基因：
CD276
Official Symbol CD276 and Name: CD276 molecule [Homo sapiens]
Other Aliases: B7-H3, B7H3
Other Designations: B7 homolog 3; CD276 antigen
Chromosome: 15; Location: 15q23-q24
Annotation: Chromosome 15, NC_000015.8 (71763675..71793912)
MIM: 605715
GeneID: 80381
作者简介：
Eugene D. Kwon, M.D.
Summary
Research in the Kwon Lab focuses on methods to evoke a potent immune response to treat relatively advanced forms of malignancy. Specific areas of research pertain to the preclinical and clinical use of novel vaccines and antibodies to activate antitumoral T cells; the use of hormone manipulations to boost or rebuild host immunity; the treatment of patients with immunotherapy in order to induce clinical tumor regression. A special emphasis is placed on developing highly state-of-the-art immunotherapies to be tested in clinical phase I or II trials to treat patients with prostate, kidney or bladder cancer. Research in the Kwon Lab is supported by a DOD NI Award (PC 991568), DOD IDEA Award (PC020574), NCI/NIH R01 (CA82185), a CaPCure Award and a new DOD-sponsored multi-center Phase II Trial Award (DAMD 17-02-1-0245 & DAMD 17-02-1-0245S1) entitled "A phase II immunotherapeutic trial; combined androgen ablative therapy and CTLA-4 blockade as a treatment for advanced prostate cancer".
Recent publications
See a listing of my publications
Education
Post Doctoral Fellowship – National Research Service Award
Laboratory of Kidney & Electrolyte Metabolism, National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health
Chief Resident – Urology
University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics
Residency – Urology
University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics
Research Fellowship – Urology and Internal Medicine
University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics
Clinical Fellowship – Clinical Oncology Fellow
American Cancer Society, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics
Residency – General Surgery
University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics
M.D.
Rush Medical College
B.A. – Chemistry
Grinnell College
