Korean J Obstet Gynecol.  2002 Apr;45(4):623-627.

Expression of E-cadherin in Benign, Borderline, and Malignant Ovarian Epithelial Tumors

Affiliations
  • 1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, College of Medicine, Dan-Kook University, Cheonan, Korea.
  • 2Department of Anatomic Pathology, College of Medicine, Dan-Kook University, Cheonan, Korea.

Abstract


OBJECTIVE
To investigate the expression of E-cadherin in benign, borderline, and malignant ovarian tumors.
METHODS
An immunohistochemical technique was applied to formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded samples of 20 benign cystic ovarian tumors, 14 borderline ovarian tumors and 13 ovarian carcinomas. Expressions of E-cadherin immunostaining in three histological types were compared, and the survival rate in malignant ovarian cancer according to E-cadherin expression was also assessed.
RESULTS
E-cadherin was positively or heterogeneously expressed in both benign and borderline ovarian tumors. But it was negatively, heterogeneously, or positively expressed in malignant ovarian tumors. The difference of expression of E-cadherin between borderline and malignant ovarian tumors was statisticaIly significant (p<0.05). In ovarian carcinoma, there was difference between negative and positive group in survival (p<0.05).
CONCLUSION
Our results suggest that alterations in E-cadherin seem to occur at a later stage of the ovarian carcinogenesis, and may have some prognostic value in malignant ovarian tumor.

Keyword

E-cadherin; immnunohistochemistry; ovarian tumors

MeSH Terms

Cadherins*
Carcinogenesis
Ovarian Neoplasms
Survival Rate
Cadherins
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