Prognostic significance of transient receptor potential vanilloid type 1 (TRPV1) and phosphatase and tension homolog (PTEN) in epithelial ovarian cancer

Abstract

Background: Transient receptor potential vanilloid type 1 (TRPV1) has been studied in human malignancies, but has not been studied in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). We, therefore, investigated the significance of TRPV1 and correlation with phosphatase and tension homolog (PTEN) in EOC. Materials and Methods: Immunohistochemical analyses for TRPV1 and PTEN were performed using a tissue microarray. Moreover, the role of TRPV1 in cell growth was assessed in a EOC cell line. Results: High TRPV1 expression and the combination of high TRPV1 and low PTEN expression were an independent prognostic factor for overall survival and disease-free survival. In vitro results demonstrated that knockdown of TRPV1 was associated with decreased cell viability and colony formation. Conclusion: There is a strong association between TRPV1 and PTEN and the combination of TRPV1 and PTEN is a strong indicator of prognostic predictor in EOC.