Expression of GLUT-1 in epithelial ovarian carcinoma: correlation with tumor cell proliferation, angiogenesis, survival and ability to predict optimal cytoreduction

Objective

GLUT-1 is involved at various steps in the processes of tumor progression. The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between GLUT-1 expression and tumor proliferation and angiogenesis in epithelial ovarian carcinoma.

Materials and methods

Specimens from 213 patients with epithelial ovarian carcinoma were evaluated by immunohistochemistry for GLUT-1, Ki-67, and vascular endothelial growth factor. Tumor microvessel density was assessed with CD34 immunostaining. We investigated the relationships between GLUT-1 expression and clinicopathologic characteristics, tumor angiogenesis (tumor MVD and vascular endothelial growth factor expression), and tumor proliferation (Ki-67). The effect of GLUT-1 expression on patient survival and on the volume of residual disease after cytoreduction was determined.

Results

There was a significant positive correlation between expression of GLUT-1, Ki-67, and microvessel density. In univariate survival analysis, high GLUT-1 expression, high Ki-67 expression and high tumor microvessel density showed a significant impact on patient survival (p = 0.0001). In multivariate analysis including patients with all tumor stages, after controlling for age, race, stage, grade, MVD, and the 3 markers (GLUT-1, Ki-67 and VEGF), only age (HR 1.5; 95% CI 1-2.3), stage (HR 3.6; 95% CI 1.8-7.5) and grade (HR 2.3; 95% CI 1.2-4.5) retained their significance as independent poor prognostic factors. Tumors simultaneously overexpressing GLUT-1 and Ki-67 were less likely to be optimally cytoreduced as compared to tumors overexpressing only one or neither of those two markers (OR: 3.8, p = 0.01).

Conclusion

Expression of GLUT-1 correlates with tumor proliferation and microvessel density in epithelial ovarian carcinoma. In addition, patients with rapidly proliferating advanced stage tumors overexpressing GLUT-1 have a lesser chance for optimal cytoreduction.     

Expression of cyclooxygenase-2 in advanced stage ovarian serous carcinoma: correlation with tumor cell proliferation, apoptosis, angiogenesis, and survival

OBJECTIVE: Cyclo-oxygenase-2 seems to be involved at various steps in the processes of tumor progression. The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between cyclo-oxygenase-2 expression and tumor proliferation, apoptosis and angiogenesis in patients with advanced stage high-grade ovarian carcinoma. STUDY DESIGN: Specimens from 118 patients with high-grade and advanced stage (III, IV) serous ovarian carcinoma were evaluated by immunohistochemistry for cyclo-oxygenase-2, Ki-67, vascular endothelial growth factor, and bcl-2 expression. Tumor microvessel density was assessed with CD34 immunostaining. We investigated the relationships between cyclo-oxygenase-2 expression and clinicopathologic characteristics, tumor angiogenesis (tumor microvessel density and vascular endothelial growth factor expression), and tumor proliferation and apoptosis. The effect of cyclooxygenase-2 expression on patient survival was determined. RESULTS: There was a significant positive correlation between cyclo-oxygenase-2 expression in tumor cells and markers of tumor proliferation and angiogenesis. In univariate survival analysis, high cyclo-oxygenase-2 and high Ki-67 expression showed a significant impact of on patient survival (P < .001). In multivariate regression analysis, only Ki-67 expression retained its significance as an independent poor prognostic factor (death hazard ratio, 2.0; 95% CI, 1.2-3.3; P < .001). CONCLUSION: Expression of cyclo-oxygenase-2 correlates with tumor proliferation and tumor angiogenesis but not with apoptotic markers (bcl-2 expression) in high-grade, advanced-stage serous ovarian carcinoma.     

Prognostic importance of survivin,Ki-67, and topoisomerase IIα in ovarian carcinoma

Purpose

Stage, tumor grade and histological subtype determine the clinical behavior in ovarian tumors. Some additional factors are related to tumor cell biology and are the useful predictors for identifying the patients with poor prognosis. The aim of this study is to evaluate the prognostic significance of survivin, Ki-67 and Topoisomerase IIα (TOPO IIα) in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC).

Materials and methods

Seventy-three patients with EOC were included in this study. Survivin, Ki-67 and TOPO IIα expressions were studied by immunohistochemistry on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue sections. Nuclear staining for all antibodies was scored on a three-tiered system and more than 10 % staining was accepted as expression. The relationship between the expressions of survivin, Ki-67, TOPO IIα and clinicopathological parameters including age, stage, grade, platinum resistance and survival was evaluated.

Results

Survivin, Ki-67 and TOPO IIα expressions were found in 20, 82 and 86 % of the tumors, respectively. Ki-67 and TOPO IIα expressions were found to be related to poor overall survival (p = 0.005, 0.004, respectively), while survivin expression was not associated with overall survival. There was no association between TOPO IIα and Ki-67 expressions and histological subtype, stage or grade. However, we found an important relationship between TOPO IIα expression and platinum resistance (p = 0.044). Platinum resistance was found to be an independent prognostic factor in EOC.

Conclusion

Ki-67 and TOPO IIα expressions were found to be related to poor overall survival, and TOPO IIα expression was found to be associated with platinum resistance.     

Prognostic factors in ovarian carcinoma stage III patients. Can biomarkers improve the prediction of short- and long-term survivors?

The aim of the study was to determine if biomarker expression could help discriminate between short-term and long-term survivors in women with advanced ovarian cancer. Fifty-one patients with stage III ovarian cancer were selected for the study, which included 28 short-term survivors (death from ovarian cancer within 18 months) and 23 long-term survivors (alive for more than 5 years). There was no difference between the two groups with respect to FIGO substage, age, World Health Organization score, and first-line platinum therapy. Classic clinical pathologic parameters were examined together with p53, Bcl-2, Ki-67, PDGFRalpha, P-glycoprotein, BRCA1, and DNA ploidy. Immunohistochemistry was used for scoring biomarker expression and image cytometry for DNA ploidy. All patients had primary debulking surgery followed by first-line platinum therapy. On multivariate analysis, the presence of ascites, debulking surgery and repeat laparotomy, clear-cell histology, elevated CA125, and high Ki-67 score were all found to be of prognostic importance. The long-term survivors were characterized by primary optimal cytoreduction surgery (<1 cm residual disease), attempt at maximal tumor debulking by experienced gynecological oncologic surgeons, and the absence of ascites. Normal CA125 level before platinum therapy and negative Ki-67 expression also predicted a more favorable prognosis.     

Comparative studies on the biological significance of the marker for proliferation Ki-67-Antigen and PCNA in primary ovarian carcinoma

OBJECTIVE: It was shown in experimental and clinical investigations, that the biological behavior of malignant tumors is reflected by their proliferative activity. PCNA and Ki-67-Antigen are two nuclear antigens and considered to represent important markers of proliferation. We investigated their proliferation index in primary ovarian carcinomas and correlated the results with tumor stage, grading, histological type and survival. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The expression of PCNA and Ki-67-Antigen was immunohistochemically evaluated using the monoclonal antibodies MIB-1 and PC 10 on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue of 49 patients. Statistical data were calculated by means of Fisher's Exact Test and Pearson's Chi 2 Test, survival was estimated by Kaplan Meier Curves. RESULTS: PCNA-expression was shown in all ovarian carcinomas and Ki-67-Antigen-expression was detected with one exception (98%) in all tumors, too. No correlation could be found between Ki-67-Antigen-expression and the prognostic factors mentioned above, whereas a high PCNA-expression was significantly correlated with the tumor grading (G3), (p < 0.05). Patients with ovarian carcinomas with high PCNA proliferation index showed the tendency of a shorter overall survival. DISCUSSION: Ki-67-Antigen and PCNA-expression could be detected in almost all primary ovarian carcinomas. PCNA compared to Ki-67-Antigen is considered to be more useful for the determination of the proliferative activity of ovarian carcinomas, although there was shown just a tendency of overall survival dependent on PCNA-expression, and there was a significant correlation only between PCNA-proliferation index and tumor grading.     

Caveolin-1 expression in advanced-stage ovarian carcinoma--a clinicopathologic study

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to analyze the correlation among the expression of caveolin-1, the protein constituent of caveolae, and disease outcome in advanced-stage ovarian carcinomas. METHODS: Sections from 76 primary ovarian carcinomas and metastatic lesions from 45 patients diagnosed with advanced-stage ovarian carcinoma (FIGO stages III-IV) were evaluated for caveolin-1 expression using immunohistochemistry. Patients were divided into long-term survivors and short-term survivors based on disease outcome. Twenty nonneoplastic fallopian tubes and ovaries were additionally studied. RESULTS: The mean follow-up period was 70 months. The mean values for disease-free survival and overall survival were 109 and 125 months for long-term survivors, compared to 3 and 21 months for short-term survivors, respectively. Caveolin-1 expression was localized to the cell membrane in 24/76 (32%) specimens and was detected in the cytoplasm in 52/76 (68%) cases. Both patterns were more often detected in metastases, when compared with primary tumors. In addition, membrane immunoreactivity was more often seen in tumor of short-term survivors. These differences did not reach statistical significance (P > 0.05). Combined membrane and cytoplasmic immunoreactivity was seen in 17/20 (85%) nonneoplastic lesions. Despite its role in tyrosine-kinase-mediated signal transduction in vitro studies, caveolin-1 expression in carcinomas showed no association with the protein expression of c-erbB-2 and epidermal growth factor receptor, evaluated in a previous study of this patient cohort. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides the first in vivo evidence of caveolin-1 membrane expression in human malignancies. Caveolin-1 is often expressed in advanced-stage ovarian carcinoma, but does not appear to be a powerful predictor of disease outcome in these tumors. The reduced expression level in carcinomas compared to nonneoplastic epithelium may point to a role for caveolin-1 as a tumor suppressor gene.     

Biological markers in pT1 and pT2 ovarian cancer with lymph node metastases

OBJECTIVE: A relatively high incidence of pelvic and paraaortic lymph node metastases is found in patients with pT1 and pT2 ovarian cancer. This paper investigates the clinicomorphological parameters and the expression of various biological markers in these tumors in order to define possible risk factors for lymphatic dissemination. METHODS: In a retrospective study we identified 51 patients with pT1 and pT2 ovarian cancer. All patients underwent total hysterectomy, bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, omentectomy, and systemic pelvic +/- paraaortal lymphadenectomy. The incidence of lymph node metastases in these patients and the clinicomorphological parameters of their tumors were examined. Immunohistochemistry was used to determine the expression levels of the cell proliferation marker Ki-67, the cell adhesion molecules CD44s and CD44v6, and the oncoprotein HER2/neu of the tumors and their respective lymph node metastases. RESULTS: Lymph node involvement was found in 5 of 26 patients with pT1 ovarian cancer and in 6 of 25 patients with pT2 ovarian cancer. Serous adenocarcinoma was associated with a significantly higher incidence of lymph node metastases than other histological types (chi(2) = 4.7, P = 0.03). No correlation was found between tumor grade and the lymph node status. High Ki-67 expression was significantly correlated with spread to the lymph nodes (chi(2) = 4.2, P = 0.04), whereas expression of CD44s, CD44v6, and HER2/neu was not related to the lymph node status. Survival analyses showed no difference in disease-free and overall survival in patients with lymph node metastases compared to those without lymph node metastases. No association was seen among histological type, tumor grade, and immunohistochemically detected Ki-67, CD44s, CD44v6, and HER2/neu expression on the one hand and disease-free and overall survival on the other hand. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that in early stage ovarian cancer the serous histological type and tumors showing a high Ki-67 expression carry a high risk of lymph node metastases. With respect to prognosis our data showed a minor role for Ki-67, CD44s, CD44v6, and HER2/neu expression and the occurrence of lymph node metastases in pT1 and pT2 ovarian cancer.     

膜联蛋白A8在卵巢上皮性浆液性肿瘤中的表达及临床意义

目的:检测膜联蛋白A8(Annexin A8,ANXA8)在卵巢组织中的表达,探讨其表达与卵巢上皮性浆液性恶性肿瘤患者临床病理参数及预后的相关性。方法:采用免疫组织化学法检测75例卵巢组织(正常卵巢组织组11例、卵巢浆液性良性肿瘤组13例、卵巢浆液性交界性肿瘤组17例、卵巢浆液性恶性肿瘤组34例)中ANXA8的表达,分析其与卵巢癌患者临床病理参数及疾病预后的关系。结果:ANXA8主要定位于细胞膜及细胞质,ANXA8在卵巢浆液性恶性肿瘤组中的高表达率(23/34,67.65%)明显高于正常卵巢组织组(1/11,9.09%)、卵巢浆液性良性肿瘤组(3/13,23.08%)及卵巢浆液性交界性肿瘤组(5/17,29.41%),差异有统计学意义(P分别为0.001、0.006、0.010)。在34例卵巢浆液性恶性肿瘤患者中,FIGOⅢ~Ⅳ期患者的ANXA8的高表达率(21/24,87.5%)明显高于FIGOⅠ~Ⅱ期患者(2/10,20.0%),差异具有统计学意义(P<0.001);盆腹腔残余病灶直径>1 cm患者的ANXA8高表达率(15/17,88.2%)明显高于残余病灶≤1 cm患者(8/17,41.2%),差异有统计学意义(P=0.010)。Kaplan-Meier生存分析表明,FIGO分期、淋巴转移、残余病灶、ANXA8的表达都是影响总生存期(OS)的重要因素(均P<0.05)。Cox多元回归分析表明ANXA8的高表达是影响卵巢浆液性恶性肿瘤患者预后的独立危险因素(P=0.019,HR=11.465,95%CI:1.498~87.757)。结论:ANXA8在卵巢上皮性浆液性恶性肿瘤组织中表达升高,且与卵巢癌不良预后有关,可用于临床监测卵巢上皮性浆液性恶性肿瘤患者病情变化。     

Prognostic impact of KI67, p53, human epithelial growth factor receptor 2, topoisomerase IIα, epidermal growth factor receptor, and nm23 expression of ovarian carcinomas and disseminated tumor cells in the bone marrow

Examination of tumor biological factors for prognostic and predictive indicators is not part of routine testing in ovarian cancer. As in other tumors, the detection of hematogenous tumor spread could help to estimate the risk of metastatic disease. We examined the expression of p53, KI67, topoisomerase IIalpha (Top IIa), epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), human epithelial growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) and nm23 in tumor tissues from 90 patients with ovarian cancer. All underwent bone marrow (BM) aspiration and screening for disseminated tumor cells in the bone marrow (DTC-BM) at primary diagnosis. BM aspiration, cytospin preparation, and immunocytochemical staining with the anticytokeratin antibody (A45-B/B3) were done following a standardized protocol. The expression of p53, KI67, Top IIa, EGFR, HER2, and nm23 was evaluated by immunohistochemistry on paraffin-embedded tissue samples and classified by percentage of stained cells or immunoreactive score (IRS). The prognostic impact of the individual factors together with standard histologic parameters was calculated by univariate and multivariate analyses. Expression rates for HER2 (2+/3+: 34.5%), KI67 (median 30%), p53 (median IRS 5), and Top IIa (median IRS 4) were relatively high, whereas nm23 (median IRS 2) and EGFR (IRS 0: 61%) showed weak staining. In 21/90 patients (23.3%), DTC-BM (>/=1/2 x 10(6) cells) could be detected. The presence of DTC-BM was inversely related to nodal status (P = .015) but not to the other factors examined. Tumor stage (P = .02), lymph node involvement (P = .003), grade (P = .046), postoperative tumor residue (P < .001), peritoneal seeding (P = .02), and KI67 (P = .046) significantly correlated with overall survival (OS) after a median observation time of 28 months (2-105). The finding of ascites was borderline significant (P = .050). The presence of DTC-BM (P = .04) and KI67 positivity (P = .02) predicted reduced distant disease-free survival. By multivariate analysis, postoperative tumor residue remained an independent factor for OS (P = .02, relative risk = 4.6). As a primarily locoregional disease, tumor stage and postoperative tumor residue are the main determinants of prognosis in patients with ovarian cancer. However, even in advanced stages, examination of tumor biological factors could help to stratify subgroups of patients and establish targeted therapies.     

GILZ和Ki-67在上皮性卵巢癌中的表达及其临床意义研究

目的 探讨GILZ和Ki-67在上皮性卵巢癌中的表达及其临床意义。方法 采用免疫组化SP法对大连医科大学附属第二医院2006-2012年收治的12例正常卵巢组织、19例卵巢良性肿瘤组织及45例上皮性卵巢癌组织标本进行GILZ和Ki-67蛋白表达检测,分析GILZ与Ki-67之间的相关性,并进行相关临床因素分析。结果 （1）GILZ、Ki-67在上皮性卵巢癌中的表达率（57.78%,46.67%）明显高于其在正常卵巢组织和卵巢良性肿瘤组织中的表达率（0,0;0,15.79%）(P<0.05)。（2）GILZ和Ki-67的表达与年龄、组织类型、临床分期、淋巴转移、腹水及化疗疗效均无相关性（P>0.05)。（3）GILZ与Ki-67的表达呈正相关。结论 （1）GILZ和Ki-67在上皮性卵巢癌中的表达明显高于正常卵巢组织和卵巢良性肿瘤组织,提示GILZ和Ki-67在卵巢癌的发生发展中可能扮演重要角色。（2）GILZ表达的增加可导致细胞增殖的增加,其高表达水平可以作为判断卵巢癌恶性程度、病情进展的重要指标。（3）联合检测GILZ和Ki-67对肿瘤的临床诊断、治疗及预后会有一定参考价值。     

Comparison of p53, Ki-67, and CD44v6 expression between primary and matched metastatic lesions in ovarian cancer

OBJECTIVE: Many studies have demonstrated that clinically evident tumor cells already carry multiple genetic alterations and further accumulation of genetic alteration causes tumor progression which plays a role in metastasis. Therefore, it could be expected that malignant potential in the metastatic site is more aggressive than that in the primary site. Using several immunohistochemical markers (p53, Ki-67, and CD44v6), we investigated an alteration of malignant potential. METHODS: We immunohistochemically examined expression of p53, Ki-67, and CD44 in primary and metastatic lesions of ovarian cancer. Fifty-six samples of primary lesions and matched metastatic sites from 56 patients with primary epithelial ovarian cancers were included in this study. RESULTS: In 16 cases (28%), the histological grade of the metastatic lesion increased. This difference was statistically significant (P = 0.0232). In 16 cases (28%), the expression of p53 increased in the metastatic lesions, in 5 pairs from negative to positive, whereas the case decrease in the metastatic lesions was only 1. This difference was statistically significant (P = 0.0046). There was no significant difference in Ki-67 labeling indices and expression of CD44v6 between the primary and matched metastatic lesions. The degree of p53 expression in the metastatic lesions significantly correlated with disease-free survival (P = 0.0482), whereas that in the primary lesions did not. Moreover, high p53 expression in the metastatic lesions significantly correlated with disease-free survival in multivariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS: The p53 expression in metastatic lesions may reflect an aggressive biologic behavior in ovarian cancer.     

MMP-2、TIMP-2、Ki-67在库肯勃氏瘤中的表达及意义

目的 :探讨MMP 2、TIMP 2、Ki 67表达与库肯勃氏瘤病理生物学行为的关系。方法 :采用免疫组化SP法对 32例库肯勃氏瘤组织和 10例正常卵巢组织进行MMP 2、TIMP 2和Ki 67表达的检测。结果 :MMP 2、TIMP 2、Ki 67在库肯勃氏瘤组织中的表达量显著高于正常卵巢组织 (P <0 .0 1)。有合并转移的库肯勃氏瘤中MMP 2、Ki 67高于无合并转移者 (P <0 .0 5 ) ,TIMP 2低于无合并转移者 (P <0 .0 5 )。MMP 2、Ki 67与术后生存时间呈负相关 (P <0 .0 1) ,TIMP 2与术后生存时间呈正相关 (P <0 .0 1)。结论 :MMP 2、TIMP 2、Ki 67在库肯勃氏瘤发生、发展中起重要作用 ,可作为判断卵巢转移癌恶性程度、临床分期和评估预后的临床参考指标     

The racial disparity in outcomes in endometrial cancer: could this be explained on a molecular level?

OBJECTIVE: The racial disparities among patients with endometrial carcinoma have been previously reported. The objective of this study is to analyze and compare the molecular profiles in endometrial cancer in Caucasian and African American patients using a number of known molecular markers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 147 patients diagnosed with endometrial cancer between 1995 and 2001 were included in the study. Patients' demographics, clinical and pathological data were reviewed. Immunohistochemical staining for p53, VEGF, Ki-67 and HIF-1alpha was performed on tissue micro array sections. Tumors' expression of p53, VEGF, Ki-67, and HIF-1alpha was compared based on ethnicity and tumor type (Type I = endometrioid carcinomas and Type II = non-endometrioid carcinomas). Spearman's correlation and Fisher's Exact Tests were used for statistical analysis and Kaplan-Meier, log-rank and Cox regression were used for survival analysis. RESULTS: 97 patients were Caucasian and 50 patients were African American. The mean age was 62 (33-91) years for Caucasian patients and 63.5 (24-89) years for the African American patients. African American patients had more Type II carcinoma than Caucasian patients (P = 0.055). High p53 expression was statistically significant among the African American patients (49% vs. 30%, P = 0.035) versus Caucasian patients. There was no significant difference demonstrated when comparing the VEGF, Ki-67, and HIF-1alpha expression between the racial groups. Survival analysis showed a trend toward a shorter survival in the African American patients compared to the Caucasian patients; median survival 62 versus 77 months (P = 0.061). On the other hand, we did not find a significant difference in survival by ethnicity when we adjusted for tumor histology. CONCLUSION: While African American patients with endometrial cancer seem to show a trend toward a shorter survival, this seems to be mainly due to the fact that they have a higher proportion of Type II tumors. The molecular profiles for p53, Ki-67, VEGF and HIF-1alpha expression of histologically matched tumors were similar between the two ethnic groups.     

卵巢上皮性癌组织中KiSS-1基因及其受体GPR54 mRNA的表达及其意义

目的探讨肿瘤转移抑制基因KiSS-1及其受体GPR54mRNA在卵巢上皮性癌组织中的表达及其意义。方法采用RT-PCR技术检测37例卵巢上皮性癌、15例卵巢交界性上皮性肿瘤、15例卵巢良性上皮性肿瘤及11例正常卵巢组织中KiSS-1基因及其受体GPR54mRNA的表达,并分析其与各临床病理指标的相关性。结果KiSS-1mRNA在卵巢上皮性癌及卵巢交界性上皮性肿瘤组织中的阳性表达率(分别为68%、60%)及表达水平(分别为0·82±0·09、0·80±0·10)均显著高于卵巢良性上皮性肿瘤及正常卵巢组织(分别为20%、18%和0·65±0·10、0·66±0·06;P均<0·05);且KiSS-1mRNA在卵巢上皮性癌组织中的阳性表达率和表达水平均与手术病理分期和淋巴结转移有明显相关性(P<0·05)。GPR54mRNA在卵巢上皮性癌、卵巢交界性上皮性肿瘤、卵巢良性上皮性肿瘤及正常卵巢组织中的阳性表达率(分别为70%、67%、60%和45%)及表达水平(分别为0·79±0·07、0·76±0·10、0·73±0·07和0·78±0·08)分别比较,差异均无统计学意义(P>0·05);GPR54mRNA在卵巢上皮性癌组织中的阳性表达率和表达水平与手术病理分期、病理分级、病理类型、淋巴结转移及腹水生成均无相关性(P>0·05)。结论KiSS-1基因及其受体GPR54可能在抑制卵巢上皮性癌浸润和转移的过程中起重要作用。     

The combined evaluation of p27Kip1 and Ki-67 expression provides independent information on overall survival of ovarian carcinoma patients

OBJECTIVE: Considering the limited and controversial information on the significance of the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p27Kip1 in ovarian cancer, we conducted a retrospective investigation to clarify the relationships of this protein to proliferation rate, clinicopathologic variables, and prognosis of epithelial ovarian tumors. METHODS: Paraffin-embedded tissue from 43 ovarian tumors of low malignant potential (LMP) and 80 primary ovarian adenocarcinomas was stained immunohistochemically for p27Kip1, Ki-67 antigen (a marker of cell proliferation), and p53 protein. Expression of these markers was correlated with clinicopathologic features and with overall survival of patients with adenocarcinomas. RESULTS: p27Kip1 levels were significantly higher in LMP tumors as well as in low-grade, early-stage, slowly proliferating adenocarcinomas and those associated with minimal residual disease (P < 0.001). Decreased p27Kip1 expression was related to poor overall survival on its own (P = 0.0304) and, when combined, to increased proliferation rate (P = 0.0232). More importantly, in multivariate analysis, p27Kip1/Ki-67 status was independently related to survival (P = 0.040) along with histologic type and FIGO stage. CONCLUSION: Decreased p27Kip1 expression is related to several clinicopathologic indicators of aggressiveness in ovarian adenocarcinomas and is a major player in cell cycle control in these neoplasms. On the contrary, deregulation of the protein does not seem to participate in the pathogenesis of LMP tumors. Furthermore, combined p27Kip1/Ki-67 expression is a better prognostic marker than expression of p27Kip1 or Ki-67 alone and supplements the prognostic information gained from traditional prognosticators.     

p53 Expression in Epithelial Ovarian Neoplasms: Relationship to Clinical and Pathological Parameters, Ki-67 Expression and Flow Cytometry

Epithelial ovarian tumors of varying malignancy as well as normal ovaries were examined for their expression of p53 with the monoclonal antibody PAb1801. Immunohistochemical detection of p53 protein is possible when the gene has been mutated, but not when the normal gene product alone is present. Our results indicate that this tumor suppressor gene may be involved in tumorigenesis, as its expression was detected in both borderline and malignant tumors while normal ovaries and benign ovarian tumors were unstained with the p53 antibody. The presence of p53 was also related to dissemination of disease, residual tumor bulk, and poor differentiation as well as the presence of the proliferation variable Ki-67, another negative prognostic variable. No significant relation could be detected to S-phase fraction or DNA ploidy. Furthermore, the presence of p53 in malignant epithelial ovarian tumors was related to significantly decreased patient survival, with only 36% alive compared to 70% in the p53-negative group (P = 0.002). In the subgroup of patients with residual tumor burden after surgery, those with p53-positive tumors had a significantly (P = 0.05) decreased survival compared to those with p53-negative neoplasms, which further supports an independent role in ovarian cancer malignancy.     

Reduced retinoblastoma gene protein to Ki-67 ratio is an adverse prognostic indicator for ovarian adenocarcinoma patients

OBJECTIVE: Alterations in the retinoblastoma gene (RB-1) are common in human neoplasia. However, the clinical significance of the deregulated expression of RB-1 in ovarian cancer remains undefined. We therefore conducted a retrospective investigation to clarify the relationships of RB-1 gene protein (pRb) to the percentage of cycling cells, clinicopathologic variables, other G1 interacting proteins and prognosis of nonbenign epithelial ovarian tumors. METHODS: Paraffin-embedded tissue from 127 nonbenign epithelial ovarian tumors, including 44 of low malignant potential (LMP) and 83 primary ovarian adenocarcinomas, was stained immunohistochemically for pRb, p21(Cip1), p27(Kip1), p53, and Ki-67 antigen (a cell proliferation associated marker). Expression of these markers was correlated with clinicopathologic features and with overall survival of patients with adenocarcinomas. RESULTS: pRb levels were significantly lower in LMP tumors than in carcinomas (P = 0.027). In the latter group, pRb expression decreased with increasing grade (I-II vs III) (P = 0.010), advancing stage (I-II vs III) (P < 0.001), and bulk residual disease (P = 0.014). pRb was not related to Ki-67 expression (P > 0.10) or to overall survival (P > 0.10) but a low pRb to Ki-67 ratio emerged as an important indicator of poor survival in univariate analysis in the entire cohort (P = 0.0076) and in the platinum-treated patients (P = 0.0162) as well as in multivariate analysis, along with histologic type and FIGO stage. CONCLUSIONS: Diminished pRb levels are related to several clinicopathologic indicators of aggressiveness in ovarian adenocarcinomas. More importantly, pRb expression coupled with the percentage of Ki-67 positive cells is a better prognostic marker than pRb, Ki-67, or other G1 interacting proteins and supplements the information gained from traditional prognosticators.     

The clinical significance of EphA2 and Ephrin A-1 in epithelial ovarian carcinomas

OBJECTIVES: To examine the expressions of the protein and mRNA of EPHA2 and EphrinA-1 in epithelial ovarian carcinomas/ovarian cancer cell lines and explore their prognostic value. METHODS: To validate the immunohistochemical method, two ovarian cancer cell lines (OVCAR3 and SKOV3) were examined with RT-PCR, Western blot, and immunohistochemistry for EphA2 and EphrinA-1 expressions. Tumors from 118 patients with advanced epithelial ovarian cancer were then evaluated for EPHA2 and Ephrin A-1 protein expression, and frozen tissues from 30 cases were used for laser capture microdissection (LCM) assistant RT-PCR RNA analysis. RESULTS: 11 (9.3%), 67 (56.8%), 26 (22.0%), and 14 (11.9%) tumors demonstrated negative, weak, moderate, and strong EphA2 protein expressions, respectively, while 3 (2.5%), 67 (56.8%), 32 (27.1%), and 16 (13.8%) tumors were negative, weak, moderate, and strong for Ephrin A-1 protein expression, respectively. Variable amount of mRNA expression was observed in the 30 tumors analyzed by the method of LCM assistant RT-PCR. There was a trend for association between higher levels of either EphA2 or Ephrin A-1 expression and higher histological grade (P = 0.05 for both factors). No significant correlation between the expressions of EphA2 or Ephrin A-1 and age, histological type, and FIGO stage was observed. Patients with higher levels of EphA2 protein expressions had significantly shorter survival. Cox multivariate analyses revealed that residual tumor after surgery, histological type, and EphA2 protein expression were of independent prognostic significance. CONCLUSIONS: High level of EphA2 protein expression is significantly associated with a shorter patient survival and EphA2 receptor is a valuable prognostic marker for ovarian carcinoma.     

The clinical importance of Ki-67, p16, p14, and p57 expression in patients with advanced ovarian carcinoma.

The present study addressed the impact of p14, p16, p57, and Ki-67 in a large cohort of uniformly treated patients with stage III ovarian cancer in relation to other clinicopathologic variables and prognosis. We immunohistochemically studied 171 primary tumors from previously untreated patients with advanced ovarian carcinomas for expression of Ki-67, p16, p14, and p57. High protein levels of Ki-67 (>10% positive nuclei) were found in 144 cases (84%), p16 (>50% positive nuclei) in 53 cases (31%), p57 (>10% positive nuclei) in 41 cases (24%), and p14 (any positive nuclei) in 19 cases (11%). A correlation between high Ki-67 expression and presence of residual disease after primary surgery (P = 0.019), ascites (P = 0.006), higher International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics substage (P < 0.001), poor differentiation (P < 0.001), and higher Silverberg histopathologic grade (P < 0.0001) was seen. High expression of p16 correlated to poor differentiation (P = 0.033) and higher Silverberg histopathologic grade (P = 0.018). In univariate analysis, high expression of Ki-67 (P = 0.0001) and p16 (P = 0.005) was associated with poor survival. However, in multivariate analysis, only high expression of Ki-67 was significantly associated with shorter survival (P = 0.025). No correlations were seen between expression of p14 and p57 and clinicopathologic parameters. None of the factors studied was able to predict response to chemotherapy. Our results showed that Ki-67 represents an independent prognostic predictor in stage III ovarian cancer. We did not find p16, p14, and p57 to be useful as prognostic markers.     

基质金属蛋白酶-2在卵巢上皮性肿瘤组织中的表达及意义

目的基质金属蛋白酶-2(MMP-2)mRNA和蛋白在卵巢上皮性肿瘤组织中的表达以及与临床病理特征和预后的关系.方法用半定量逆转录聚合酶链反应技术、链霉菌抗生物素蛋白-过氧化物酶连接法对41例卵巢上皮性癌及26例卵巢良性肿瘤组织中MMP-2mRNA及蛋白的表达分别进行定量和定位分析;应用蛋白印迹法定性检测MMP-2酶原和活性MMP-2在卵巢上皮性肿瘤组织中的表达.结果良、恶性卵巢肿瘤组织中MMP-2mRNA表达分别为0.68±0.48和0.97±1.00,MMP-2蛋白表达阳性率分别为54%和76%,两者分别比较,差异无显著性(P＞0.05).卵巢上皮性癌组织中的活性MMP-2表达阳性率为71%,显著高于卵巢良性肿瘤组织的42%(P＜0.05).手术病理分期为Ⅲ～Ⅳ期卵巢癌患者的活性MMP-2表达阳性率为81%,显著高于Ⅰ～Ⅱ期患者的9例中3例(P=0.01).病情进展患者的活性MMP-2表达阳性率为86%,明显高于无进展患者的19例中10例(P=0.02).结论卵巢上皮性肿瘤普遍存在MMP-2mRNA及蛋白表达,活性MMP-2表达与卵巢上皮性癌侵袭、转移密切相关,是卵巢上皮性癌的一项预后监测指标.