Background: Prostatic carcinoma contains a small population of
cancer stem cells (CSCs) that promote tumor growth, maintenance,
and progression. CSC markers could provide a prognostic tool for
human malignancies. Therefore, CSCs may have a role in prostatic
carcinoma. This study aimed to evaluate the expression patterns and
significance of stem cell marker aldehyde dehydrogenase 1A1
(ALDH1A1) in prostatic adenocarcinoma. Methods: This is a
retrospective study performed upon 60 cases grouped as; 10 cases
(16.7%) of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), 6 cases (10%) of highgrade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (HGPIN) and 44 cases
(73.3%) of prostatic adenocarcinoma (PCa) of different Gleason
scores. Immunohistochemistry was applied on formalin-fixed,
paraffin-embedded blocks using ALDH1A1. The relation between
ALDH1A1 expression and clinicopathologic parameters was assessed.
Results: Low expression of ALDH1A1 was seen in all cases (100%)
of BPH, 5/6 (83.3%) of HGPIN and 12/44 (27.3%) of PCa, while high
expression was in 1/6 case (16.7%) of HGPIN and 32/44 (72.2%) of
PCa cases. There were significant relations between the expression
levels of ALDH1A1 in PCa compared with HGPIN and BPH cases
(P