Expression Of EP-CAM, β-catenin In Epithelial Ovarian Cancer And The Function In Prognostic Evaluation

Objective: Ovarian cancer is one of the most frequently seen malignancies in female, the incidence is third followed cervical cancer and endometrial carcinoma. The inhistology typings of ovarial malignancy are include: epithelial tumour, germ celcancer, sexcord-stromaltumor, lipidcell tumor, Gonadoblastoma, non-ovarial specificity soft connective tissue tumor, not elsewhere classifiable tumor, metastatic tumor, tumor-like lesion. Almost 85%~90% of primary ovarian tumor derive from epithelial cells. Most ovarian cancer are diagnosed among the ages of 50~60. Because of the multiplicity of the embryonic development, the dissect of the tissue and endocrine fuction, ovarian cancer is absence of symptoms in earlier period. So it is difficult to discriminate the type and property of ovarian cancer. In the exploratory laparotomy of ovarian cancer we can find the tumors located in ovaries only are 30%, mostly have been diffused to uterus, ambi-accompaniment, colicomentum and other organ in cavitas pelvis. To final diagnosis, about 60~70% ovarian cancer are in middle and advanced stage. The therapeutic efficacy of epithelial ovarial cancer are fail amelioration, five year surivival rate are 30~40%, death rate is first place in department of gynecology malignant tumor. Epithelial ovarial cancer have been chief tumor which serious threaten female's life and health[1]. Most patients of ovarian cancer were in hospital on account of celiac disease, cavitas thoracis disease and lymphadenectasis. Although ovarian cancer is high-fatal, the clinical course is difficult to be valuation. Prognostic predictors are currently based on clinical and histopathological features including: FIGO stage, histologic grade of tumor, histologic subtype, age at diagnosis, and residual tumor after surgical treatment[2]. To know the prognosis factor of EOC can help the individualized treatment and improve long term survival. Recently a great of scolars study in this aspect provid a lot of prognosis marker. Currently available clinical and molecular factors provide still an insufficient prognostic and predictive assessment for patients with epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). To identify a potential molecular target and prognostic/predictive factor for EOC, we investigated in a retrospective study the prognostic value of Ep-CAM,β- catenin expression in EOC.Methods: The expression of EP-CAM was detected with immunohistochemical stain in 20 cases of normal ovarian epithelium, 20 cases of ovarian benign epithelial tumor and 43 cases of epithelial ovarian cancer. The expression ofβ-catenin was detected with immunohistochemical stain in 43 cases of epithelial ovarian cancer.Results: The expression rates of EP-CAM were 79%, 65%, 40% for epithelial ovarian cancer, ovarian benign epithelial tumor, and normal ovarian epithelial groups. The difference has statistical significance(P<0.05).The EP-CAM over- expression rates in normal ovarian epithelial and ovarian benign epithelial tumor groups were zero. But the expression rate was 56% in epithelial ovarian cancer group(P=0. 001). The contrast has statistical significance. Compared the expression with absence expression of EP-CAM and the low expression with overexpression of EP-CAM, the results of the live time of patients in identity test all were significance. The latter was more patency. So the overexpression of EP-CAM was positive correlated with the dys-prognostic of epithelial ovarian cancer. In 43 cases ovarian cancer tissues, the expression ofβ-catenin were 9 (21%)cases normal expression(cellular membrane expression with brown), 34 (79%) cases abnormal expression(no expression, cytoplasmic or/and nuclear expressions). Among the abnormal expression tissues, absence expressions were 14(33%) cases, ectopic expressions were 6(14%) cases, heterogeneity expressions were 14(33%) cases. Compared normal expression group with the abnormal expression group, the result of the live time of patients in identity test was significance. TheⅢ-Ⅳgroup was more significance thanⅠ-Ⅱgroup. So the abnormal expression ofβ-catenin in the ovarian cancer was contribute with the evaluate of prognostic in epithelial ovarian cancer.Conclusion 1. The rates of expression of EP-CAM increased from normal ovarian tissue, ovarian benign epithelial tumor and epithelial ovarian cancer. The overexpression of EP-CAM appearance only in EOC. So the result in this study suggested that the expression of EP-CAM involved in the carcinogenesis of EOC. 2. In 43 cases EOC, the rate of overexpression of EP-CAM inⅢ-Ⅳgroup was obviously higher thanⅠ-Ⅱgroup. The difference was significance. Compared with different age groups, the expression rates of EP-CAM were higher in the group >60 than the group≤60. The difference has statistical significance. 3. With the increasing of the score of the expression of EP-CAM, the live time of patients were degression. 4. With the abnormal expression ofβ-catenin, the live time of patients were degression.