Circulating free DNA,p53 antibody and mutations of KRAS gene in endometrial cancer

This study was conducted to evaluate the significance of circulating free DNA (CFDNA), p53 antibody (p53‐Ab) and mutations of KRAS gene in the development of endometrial cancer (EC). A total of 109 patients with EC (87 patients with Type I and 22 patients with Type II) took part in this study. KRAS mutations and CFDNA were detected by means of the PCR‐RFLP and enriched by the PCR‐RFPL method. ELISA was used to analyze plasma p53‐Ab. Tissue expression of P53 protein was evaluated immunohistochemically (IHC). The frequency of KRAS mutations was especially high in Grade 2 of Type I EC. CFDNA was frequently detected in patients with early stage of Type II EC at a low level of grade. It is noteworthy that the p53‐Ab positive rate increased in the higher grade of Type I tumors. A significant difference in the number of cases with the p53‐Ab was found in the advanced stage of Type I tumors. The frequency of KRAS and p53‐Ab correlates with tumor stage only in the Type I EC. Plasma CFDNA and p53‐Ab offer a chance to develop a procedure for EC Type II diagnosis. The association between tumor cells related to CFDNA and p53‐Ab with Type II tumor suggests that it might potentially serve as a marker in predicting the prognosis and offers a possibility to individualize treatment regimen.