CD63 is a diagnostic marker of prostate cancer and a prognostic marker of biochemical progression following radical prostatectomy.

AIMS: We aimed to analyze CD63, a cell surface protein that has been associated with tumor aggressiveness in several cancers, including breast, colorectal, and lung cancer, as well as melanoma, in prostate cancer. METHODS: and tested for statistical significance. For comparison with the diagnostic markers AMACR and GOLPH2, CD63 was analyzed in an additional cohort of 198 prostate cancers. RESULTS: CD63 expression was found in 100% of prostate cancer cases and benign tissue spots. Increased CD63 expression was significantly associated with higher tumor stage (pT), tumor grade (ISUP), as well as shorter progression-free survival (PFS). Compared with the CD63 intensity of benign tissue, expression in tumor tissue was higher in >80% of cases. In addition, combining the expression of CD63 and AMACR, positivity reached 97.2%, making CD63 a promising diagnostic biomarker in challenging cases. CONCLUSIONS: CD63 is commonly overexpressed in prostate cancer, and higher levels are associated with earlier biochemical tumor progression; hence, CD63 is a promising diagnostic and prognostic biomarker in primary prostate cancer.