Expression of Angiopoietin-1 and -2 and Tie-2 mRNA in Uterine Endometrial Cancer

Lee, Kyung A; Kim, Ari; Kang, Eun Ji; Moon, Hye Sung; Chung, Hye Won; Kim, Seung Cheol; Kim, Jong Il

Abstract

OBJECTIVE
This study was purposed to investigate the expression of angiopoietin (Ang) -1 and -2 and Tie-2 mRNA among uterine endometrial cancer, endometrial hyperplasia, and normal endometrium, and to assess the relationships among their expression and other prognostic factors of uterine endometrial cancer.
METHODS
The tissues were obtained from patients with uterine endometrial cancer, patients with endometrial hyperplasia, and patients with normal endometrium undergoing hysterectomy. Total RNA was extracted and reverse transcribed into cDNA. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and quantitative competitive-PCR (QC-PCR) were performed to evaluate the mRNA expressions of Ang-1 and -2 and Tie-2. Clinicopathologic factors of uterine endometrial cancer were reviewed with the patient's charts and results were analyzed with Mann-Whitney U test, Spearman correlation test and logistic regression analysis.
RESULTS
Ang-1 and -2 mRNA expression in uetrine endometrial cancer were higher than that in endometrial hyperplasia and lower than that in normal endometrium (p<0.05), but there was no significant difference in Tie-2 mRNA expression among uterine endometrial cancer, endometrial hyperplasia, and normal endometrium. A definite correlation was found between Ang-1 mRNA expression and clinical stage and CA-125 levels of uterine endometrial cancer (p<0.05).
CONCLUSION
The expression of Ang-1 and -2 mRNA could be associated with the progression of uterine endometrial cancer and might have a role as prognostic parameters in uterine endometrial cancer.