Class III beta-tubulin expression predicts prostate tumor aggressiveness and patient response to docetaxel-based chemotherapy.

Expression of class III β-tubulin (βIII-tubulin) correlates with tumor progression and resistance to taxane-based therapies for several human malignancies, but its use as a biomarker of tumor behavior in prostate cancer (PCa) remains largely unexplored. Here, we describe βIII-tubulin immunohistochemical staining patterns of prostate tumors obtained from a broad spectrum of PCa patients, some of whom subsequently received docetaxel therapy for castration-resistant PCa (CRPC). Elevated βIII-tubulin expression was significantly associated with tumor aggressiveness in PCa patients with presumed localized disease, as it was found to be an independent marker of biochemical recurrence after treatment.