Relationship between androgen receptor expression in meningiomas and the activity of cell proliferation

Objective To investigate the relationship between the expression of androgen receptor (AR) and the activity of cell proliferation in meningiomas.Methods SABC immunohistochemical assay was used to study the expression of AR and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) in 39 cases of meningiomas.Results AR expression rate was 31.0%, 58.0% and 87.5% in benign, atypical and malignant meningiomas respectively. The AR expression rate and percentage of AR positive staining cells were significantly higher in the malignant meningiomas than in atypical and benign meningiomas (P0.05). There were correlation between AR and PCNA labeling index.Conclusion The overexpression of AR in meningiomas is related to high rate of cell proliferation. The development of meningiomas may be associated with the overexpression of AR.