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

Park, Jin Wan; Lee, Min Chul; Park, Choong Hak

Original Article

Korean Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology 2002;45(4):623-627.
Published online April 1, 2002.

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

Jin Wan Park, Min Chul Lee, Choong Hak Park

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.

Key Words: E-cadherin, immnunohistochemistry, ovarian tumors