SUMOylation is an important part of post-translational protein modifications and regulates thousands of proteins in a dynamic manner. The dysregulation of SUMOylation is detected in many cancers. However, the comprehensive role of SUMOylation in prostate cancer (PCa) remains unclear. Using 174 SUMOylation-related genes (SRGs) from the MigDSB database and the transcript data of PCa from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO), we constructed a SUMOylation-related risk score and correlated it with prognosis, tumor mutation burden (TMB), tumor microenvironment (TME) infiltration, and response to chemotherapy and immunotherapy. Moreover, we validated two vital SRGs by RT-qPCR, western blotting, and immunohistochemistry. Two vital SRGs (DNMT3B and NUP210) were finally selected. The risk score based on these genes exhibited excellent predictive efficacy in predicting the biochemical recurrence (BCR) of PCa. A nomogram involving the risk score and T stage was established to further explore the clinical value of the risk score. We found the high-score group was correlated with worse prognosis, higher TMB, a more suppressive immune microenvironment, and a better response to Docetaxel but worse to PD-1/CTLA-4 blockade. Meanwhile, we validated the significantly higher expression level of NUP210 in PCa at mRNA and protein levels. This study elucidated the comprehensive role of SUMOylation-related genes in PCa. Importantly, we highlighted the role of an important SRG, NUP210, in PCa, which might be a promising target in PCa treatment. A better understanding of SUMOylation and utilizing the SUMOylation risk score could aid in precision medicine and improve the prognosis of PCa.

Almost 15% of prostate cancer (PCa) patients were found to have lymph node metastases (LNMs), which are associated with higher risk of biochemical recurrence. Using indocyanine green (ICG) for the sentinel node biopsy (SNB) before surgery was proposed to detect LNMs in PCa patients. However, its diagnostic performance still remains controversial. This study aimed to investigate the diagnostic performance of ICG for the SNB in PCa. This systematic review and meta-analysis has been reported in line with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. The protocol has been registered in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews database, and the register number is CRD42023421911. Four bibliographic databases were searched, i.e., PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science, to retrieve articles studying the diagnostic performance of ICG for the SNB in PCa from the inception to Sep 9, 2023. We calculated the pooled sensitivity, specificity, likelihood ratios, diagnostic odds ratios and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Subgroup analyses and meta-regression analyses were also conducted. A total of 17 articles from databases are enrolled in this study. Using lymph node-based data, our results showed that the pooled sensitivity and specificity of applying ICG alone in PCa were 71% (95% CI 52%–85%) and 68% (95% CI 64%–72%), respectively. The pooled sensitivity and specificity of applying ICG-technetium-99m-nanocolloid in PCa were 49% (95% CI 39%–59%) and 69% (95% CI 67%–71%), respectively. The efficacy of using ICG or ICG-technetium-99m-nanocolloid for the SNB in PCa is relatively unsatisfactory. ICG cannot yet substitute extended pelvic lymph node dissection for detecting LNMs accurately. More research or novel tracers are needed to achieve the goal of precise surgery.