DEPTOR levels in patients with mycosis fungoides

Abstract The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway is upregulated in the pathogenesis of many cancers, including cutaneous T-cell lymphomas. DEP domain-containing mTOR-interacting protein (DEPTOR) is an mTOR inhibitor and its expression is negatively regulated by mTOR. However, the significance of DEPTOR in the development of mycosis fungoides (MF) is not clear. The objective of this study was to investigate the possible role of DEPTOR in the pathogenesis of MF. Forty patients with MF and 40 healthy controls were included. Serum fasting DEPTOR levels of the participants were examined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Serum DEPTOR levels were significantly lower in patients with MF than controls ( P = 0.001). In conclusion, DEPTOR may be a potential prognostic biomarker in MF.