Background/aim: The identification of novel molecules associated with endometrial cancer (EC) development might offer less invasive surgery, better fertility preservation, and avoidance of unnecessary adjuvant therapy.
Materials and methods: Microarray analysis was conducted using fresh surgically-obtained specimens from five EC patients and five cases with benign tumours. Additionally, immunohistochemical studies of the most highly expressed molecules were performed on paraffin-embedded tissues from these patients and others with stage IA, grade 1-2 EC (n=3) with or without (n=7) recurrent disease.
Results: The most highly expressed gene in EC was chemokine ligand 18 (CCL18), with a 35.6-fold change compared to benign tumors. CCL18 expression was observed in tumor cells at the myometrial invasive front in 9 out of 11 tested samples.
Conclusion: CCL18 expression was positively correlated with malignancy in EC. Further investigation with a larger number of samples or examination of serum CCL18 levels is warranted.
Keywords: CCL18; early stage; endometrial cancer.
Copyright© 2014 International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. John G. Delinassios), All rights reserved.