Clinical significance of alpha-catenin, collagen IV, and Ki-67 expression in epithelial ovarian cancer.
OBJECTIVE
To analyze alpha-catenin and collagen IV expression in epithelial ovarian cancer with special reference to their prognostic significance and correlations with clinical and pathologic characteristics, as well as cell proliferation marker Ki-67.


METHODS
Alpha-catenin, collagen IV, and Ki-67 expression was immunohistochemically analyzed in paraffin-embedded specimens of 316 patients with epithelial ovarian cancer.


RESULTS
Alpha-catenin and collagen IV expression was not interrelated or related to International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage or proliferation marker Ki-67. Alpha-catenin expression was reduced (< 100%) in 50% of primary tumors. Reduced alpha-catenin and collagen IV expression was directly related to high histologic grade (P < .001). In both univariate and multivariate analyses, Ki-67 proliferation significantly predicted overall survival. In the subset of 86 patients with stage I tumor, a reduced (< 100%) alpha-catenin expression approached statistical significance as a negative prognostic factor (P = .035) and retained its statistical significance in the multivariate analysis (P = .025). The low (< 30%) expression of alpha-catenin (n = 10) was a sign of inferior survival as compared with normal expression in both the univariate (P = .0107) and multivariate analyses (P = .0105).


CONCLUSIONS
Alpha-catenin expression seems to be a useful marker of those FIGO stage I tumors likely to run a less favorable course. The high cell proliferative activity was associated with poor survival. In the future, alpha-catenin and Ki-67 expression should be studied in a large prospective cohort that includes early-stage cancers to select the more aggressive tumors for intense early chemotherapy.
Anttila
M
M
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Kuopio University Hospital, Finland. maarit.anttila@uku.fi
Kosma
V M
VM
Ji
H
H
Wei-Ling
X
X
Puolakka
J
J
Juhola
M
M
Saarikoski
S
S
Syrjänen
K
K
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis; D015820:Cadherins / Q000032:analysis*; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000737:chemistry / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D003094:Collagen / Q000032:analysis*; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins / Q000032:analysis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D019394:Ki-67 Antigen / Q000032:analysis*; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D011379:Prognosis; D016019:Survival Analysis; D015996:Survival Rate; D051178:alpha Catenin
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; C495273:CTNNA1 protein, human; D015820:Cadherins; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins; D019394:Ki-67 Antigen; D051178:alpha Catenin; D003094:Collagen