A cross-sectional study of ERG expression and the relationship with clinicopathological features of Prostate cancer in Southwestern Uganda

Sep 21, 2026

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Cross-sectional analysis investigates ERG expression and its association with clinicopathological characteristics in prostate cancer patients in Southwestern Uganda. The study focuses on the diagnostic and prognostic uncertainty surrounding ERG protein, including reported links to PSA, Gleason score, and outcomes. Archived prostate biopsy specimens from men aged 50 years and above were examined using immunohistochemistry to estimate ERG prevalence and compare it with available clinical variables.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

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Abstract

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusion

Introduction

Mitala et al. Diagnostic Pathology (2024) 19:67 [https://doi.org/10.1186/s13000-024-01494-1](https://doi.org/10.1186/s13000-024-01494-1) Diagnostic Pathology RESEARCH Open Access A cross-sectional study of ERG expression and the relationship with clinicopathological features of Prostate cancer in Southwestern Uganda Yekosani Mitala 1*, Brian Ssenkumba 1, Abraham Birungi 1, Ritah Kiconco2,3, Marvin Mwesigwa Mutakooha4 and Raymond Atwine 1 Abstract Background Prostate cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death and the second most commonly diagnosed cancer among men in Uganda and most countries in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) . The TMPRSS2-ERG fusion gene is the most common genetic alteration seen among prostate cancer patients. There are several contradicting reports about the association of ERG protein with poor prognosis, high PSA, and Gleason score. This study determined the prevalence of ERG expression and the relationship with PSA, Gleason score, and Age of prostate cancer patients in Southwestern Uganda. Methods We reviewed 130 archived prostate biopsy (needle and TURP) specimens from patients of age ≥50 years who had a histological diagnosis of prostate cancer. We obtained their biodata, and preoperative PSA, from the archived records. We did Immunohistochemistry (IHC) to determine the prevalence of ERG expression. Results The mean patient age in our study was 74.64 ± 10.19 years. Pre-operative PSA levels had been done for 79. 2% of the participants. Most cancers (58 .46%) were of high grade (grade group 3–5) . ERG expression prevalence was 75.4% and its expression was independent of age, re-operative PSA, and Gleason score. Conclusion There is a significantly higher prevalence of ERG expression in our study compared to what is reported in other African-based studies. The expression ofthe ERG is independent of age, Gleason score, and serum PSA levels. A high proportion of our prostate cancer has high-grade disease at the time of diagnosis. Keywords ERG, Immunohistochemistry, Prostate cancer, Uganda *Correspondence: Yekosani Mitala[yekomitala@gmail.com](yekomitala@gmail.com) 1Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Mbarara University of Science and Technology, Mbarara City, Uganda 2Department of Medical Laboratory Science, Faculty of Medicine, Mbarara University of Science and Technology, Mbarara City, Uganda 3Department of Biochemistry, School of Health Sciences, Soroti University, Soroti, Uganda 4Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Mbarara University of Science and Technology, Mbarara City, Uganda © The Author(s) 2024. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit [http://creativecommons.org/l](http://creativecommons.org/l)icenses/by/4.0/. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver ([http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/](http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated in a credit line to the data. Mitala et al. Diagnostic Pathology (2024) 19:67 Introduction Prostate cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death among men in Uganda with a very poor prognosis compared to the developed countries [1]. Prior reports at

FAQs

What is the main purpose of the cross-sectional study?

To determine the prevalence of ERG expression and assess its relationship with clinicopathological features, including PSA, Gleason score, and patient age, in Southwestern Uganda.

How were ERG expression levels measured?

ERG expression was evaluated using immunohistochemistry (IHC) on 130 archived prostate biopsy specimens.

What did the study find about ERG expression and clinical parameters?

ERG expression prevalence was reported as 75.4%, and ERG expression was independent of age, pre-operative PSA, and Gleason score.

Sep 21, 2026

Uploaded by Aurora