Abstract: Abstract: Objective To explore the expression of ribosomal protein L6 (RPL6) in prostate cancer and its clinical sig⁃ nificance. Methods RT-qPCR and Western blot assay were used to measure the mRNA transcription and protein expres⁃ sion levels of RPL6 in prostate cancer tissues (n=80) and adjacent non-cancerous tissues (n=62). The relationship between RPL6 mRNA expression level and clinicopathological factors of prostate cancer was statistically analyzed. Results The mRNA and protein expression levels of RPL6 were significantly higher in prostate cancer tissues compared with those of non-cancerous tissues (P < 0.05). There were higher serum expression levels of prostate specific antigen (PSA) and higher Gleason score in prostate cancer tissues. The expression level of RPL6 mRNA was significantly higher in patients with lymph node metastasis and late clinical stage (P < 0.05). There were no significant differences in PSA levels between different ages, with or without seminal vesicle invasion and different surgical margin status (P > 0.05). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis of biochemical recurrence (BCR)-free survival time showed the significantly lower recurrent rate in patients with high RPL6 mRNA expression （χ2 =4.530,P=0.033). Conclusion The elevated expression of RPL6 may play a role in the development of prostate cancer, and which can be used as a tumor marker to assess the prognosis of prostate cancer.

Key words: ribosomal protein L6, prostate cancer, real-time quantitative PCR, prognosis