Evaluation of expression of the PTEN gene, oestrogen and progesterone receptors as diagnostic and predictive factors in endometrial cancer

Abstract

Endometrial cancer belongs to the commonest malignancy in females after breast cancer, malignant neoplasm of female genitals in Europe and North America but there is still not significant improvement as far as the curability of this neoplasm is concerned, especially its advanced forms. That is why there is need to define new factors that could be not only diagnostic but also predictve factors. In present study we analyzed the mRNA PTEN expression by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (Q-PCR) in 123 women of endometrial carcinoma and 14 women of control group. Moreover we assessed oestrogen (ER) and progesterone receptors (PgR) in all cases. We defined the correlation between expression of PTEN gene and receptors and between PTEN expression and maturity grade of cancer. Neoplasm advancement grade G1 was diagnosed in 82.11% of patients (n = 101), G2 in 9.76% of patients (n = 12) and G3 in 8.13% of patients (n = 10). Presence of ER and PgR and decreased expression of PTEN gene was found in majority of patients with endometrial cancer (79.12% and 59.34% respectively) and the most numerous group was with weak expression of ER and strong expression of PgR. There was no statistically significant difference in gene expression depending on receptors expression nor maturity grade of cancer (p >0.05). Evaluation of expression of PTEN gene may turn out to be a very useful tool aimed at qualifying patients for different therapies of endometrial cancer and at searching of new diagnostic and therapeutic methods of this cancer independently on its receptor status nor maturity grade of cancer. © The Author(s) 2013.