Expression Of Caspase-3 In The Primary Epithelial Ovarian Carcinoma

Objective: To detect the expression of caspase-3 in the primary epithelial ovarian carcinoma and to evaluate whether these alterations could provide causative informations.Methods: The expression of caspase-3 was studied by Streptavidin-peroxidase(S-P) immunohischemical methods in 38 cases of primary epithelial ovarian carcinoma,9 borderline ovarian tumor samples and 13 normal ovary tissues.Resalts:(1)The expression of caspase-3 was only found in the cytosol. The positive rate in carcinoma samples, borderline ovarian tumors and nomal ovary tissues was 86.8%(33/38 X 55.6%(5/9),15.4%(2/13).The level of caspase-3 was higher in carcinoma samples compared respectively with both borderline ovarian tumors(p=0.032)and normal ovary nomal tissues(p<0.001).The positive rate in the borderline ovarian tumors was higher man nomal ovary tissues(p=0.047).(2) In the carcinoma samples,expression of caspase-3 showed no significant relationship with tumor grade(p>0.05).(3) The expression of caspase-3 showed no significant relationship with histological type of the primary epithelial ovarian carcinoma(p>0.05).(4) The expression of caspase-3 showed no relationship with theclinical stage of the primary epithelial ovarian carcinoma(p>0.05). Conclosions: The level of the caspase-3 is higher in the primary epithelial ovarian carcinoma man in the nonmalignant ovary tissue.Caspase-3 may play an important role in the development of the primary epithelial ovarian carcinoma.This finding would appear to conflict with the widely held belief that apoptosis is reduced in malignancy.In the primary epithelial ovarian carcinomas,the caspase-3 show no significant relationship with either tumor grade, histological type,or the clinical stage.