title: [The prognostic value of cathepsin D in endometrial carcinoma].
abstract: The concentration of the lysosomal protease Cathepsin D was tested by means of RIA. We used the cytosols of 44 endometrial carcinoma tissue specimens and of the corresponding normal endometrial tissues (n = 42) obtained from the respective uteri after hysterectomy. All patients were in postmenopausal stage. A significant higher level of Cathepsin D expression was found in endometrial carcinoma (median value = 24.2 pmol/mg) compared to normal endometrium (median value = 11.4 pmol/mg). No difference in Cathepsin D concentration was found in relation to grade of histological differentiation (G1 vs. G2/G3), depth of myometrial invasion and tumor stage (stage IA vs. IB/IC vs. > I) as well as state of estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR). After an average follow-up period of 18 months there was no significant difference in survival rate of operated patients depending on Cathepsin D concentration. However, the prognostic significance of this parameter need to be evaluated after a long-term follow-up. The overexpression of Cathepsin D seems to be important for exact biologic characterization of each endometrial carcinoma with respect to local proteolytic activity. The enhanced activity of cathepsin D may therefore serve as an additional objective malignancy criterion independent of the well-known prognostic factors.
authors.affiliation: Klinik für Gynäkologie und Geburtshilfe, Universität Leipzig.
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Köhler
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Langanke
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Sorger
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Bilek
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis*; D002402:Cathepsin D / Q000032:analysis*; D016889:Endometrial Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D004717:Endometrium / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007044:Hysterectomy; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen / Q000032:analysis; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone / Q000032:analysis; D012016:Reference Values; D015996:Survival Rate
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone; D002402:Cathepsin D
vernacular_title: Untersuchungen zum prognostischen Stellenwert des Kathepsin D beim Endometriumkarzinom.