title: Expression of cell regulatory proteins in ovarian borderline tumors.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Tumors of borderline malignancy are still a controversial subgroup of ovarian neoplasms. The expression of several cell regulatory proteins was studied to characterize the molecular phenotype of these tumors, and to compare them with their benign and malignant counterparts.
  
  
  METHODS
  Specimens from 22 patients with tumors of borderline malignancy (11 serous and 11 mucinous tumors), 12 patients with benign tumors, and 16 patients with invasive ovarian carcinomas were evaluated for expression of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), HER-2/neu, PTP1B, and p53 by immunohistochemical techniques.
  
  
  RESULTS
  One or both of the tyrosine kinase growth factor receptors EGFR and HER-2/neu was expressed by 42% of benign, 59% of borderline, and 81% of malignant ovarian tumors. EGFR was expressed in a significantly greater fraction of malignant lesions (69%) than borderline lesions (18%) (P< 0.004). EGFR expression was not observed among the 11 mucinous borderline tumors. HER-2/neu was expressed by 50% of borderline tumors and was not a marker for malignancy. The tyrosine phosphatase PTP1B was expressed by a similar fraction of benign (17%), borderline (27%), and malignant (19%) tumors. The number of cases studied precluded correlation of kinase and phosphatase activity. However, among 12 tumors with PTP1B expression, 9 also expressed EGFR or HER-2/neu. Overexpression of p53 was observed only in malignant serous tumors and was not found in malignant mucinous, borderline, or benign lesions.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Either EGFR or HER-2/neu was detected in a majority of borderline cancers. PTP1B was present only in a minority of these cancers. Frankly malignant serous lesions differed from borderline and benign tumors with regard to expression of EGFR and overexpression of p53.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynaecological Oncology, Royal Hospital for Women, Sydney, Australia.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: van Haaften-Day
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Russell
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Boyer
authors.forename: B J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Kerns
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Wiener
authors.forename: D N
authors.initials: DN
authors.lastname: Jensen
authors.forename: R C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Bast
authors.forename: N F
authors.initials: NF
authors.lastname: Hacker
mesh_terms: D002277:Carcinoma / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins / Q000032:analysis*; D066246:ErbB Receptors / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics; D010641:Phenotype; D017027:Protein Tyrosine Phosphatases / Q000032:analysis; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases / Q000032:analysis; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; D066246:ErbB Receptors; D017027:Protein Tyrosine Phosphatases; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53