Epithelial membrane protein‐2 expression is an early predictor of endometrial cancer development |
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| Authors: | Robert A. Soslow MD Rajiv G. Rao BA Lynn K. Gordon MD Osvaldo Schirripa MD Steve Horvath MD Jonathan Braun MD Madhuri Wadehra PhD |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Department of Pathology, Memorial Sloan‐Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York;2. Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California;3. Department of Ophthalmology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California;4. Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California;5. Department of Human Genetics, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California;6. Department of Biostatistics, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California;7. Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CaliforniaThe 1st, 2nd, 9th, and 10th authors contributed equally to this article. |
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| Abstract: | BACKGROUND: Endometrial cancer (EC) is a common malignancy worldwide. It is often preceded by endometrial hyperplasia, whose management and risk of neoplastic progression vary. Previously, the authors have shown that the tetraspan protein epithelial membrane protein‐2 (EMP2) is a prognostic indicator for EC aggressiveness and survival. Here the authors validate the expression of EMP2 in EC, and further examine whether EMP2 expression within preneoplastic lesions is an early prognostic biomarker for EC development. METHODS: A tissue microarray (TMA) was constructed with a wide representation of benign and malignant endometrial samples. The TMA contains a metachronous cohort of cases from individuals who either developed or did not develop EC. Intensity and frequency of EMP2 expression were assessed using immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: There was a stepwise, statistically significant increase in the average EMP2 expression from benign to hyperplasia to atypia to EC. Furthermore, detailed analysis of EMP2 expression in potentially premalignant cases demonstrated that EMP2 positivity was a strong predictor for EC development. CONCLUSIONS: EMP2 is an early predictor of EC development in preneoplastic lesions. In addition, combined with our previous findings, these results validate EMP2 as a novel biomarker for EC development. Cancer 2010. © 2010 American Cancer Society. |
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| Keywords: | epithelial membrane protein‐2 endometrial cancer metachronous tissue microarray tumor biomarker |
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