Immunohistochemical staining of the mismatch repair gene, hMSH2, and survival in patients with ovarian carcinoma.
OBJECTIVE
hMSH2 is a mismatch repair gene. The protein of this gene can be demonstrated by immunohistochemical methods. The authors wanted to analyze whether the percent of positive nuclear area staining of the hMSH2 protein correlated with survival in patients with ovarian carcinoma.


METHODS
One hundred and two patients with epithelial ovarian carcinoma were studied. Slides were prepared from snap frozen tissue. Quantification of staining and DNA index were performed using image analysis. In addition to hMSH2, FIGO stage, grade, histology, and level of cytoreduction were analyzed as prognostic factors.


RESULTS
Mean follow-up was 64 months and median was 59 months. Nineteen patients had stage I cancers, 4 stage II, 59 stage III, and 20 stage IV. Optimal cytoreduction was accomplished in 71% of patients. hMSH2 staining was significantly higher in better differentiated tumors (p=0.006), but there was no difference in staining among the FIGO stages (p=0.43). Cox regression analysis revealed FIGO stage (p=0.0005), level of cytoreduction (p=0.006) and hMSH2 staining (p=0.016) to be independent predictors of survival in patients with ovarian carcinoma.


CONCLUSIONS
The hMSH2 protein can be demonstrated by immunohistochemical methods and quantified by image analysis. hMSH2 staining was shown to be an independent prognostic indicator of survival in patients with ovarian carcinoma.
Geisler
J P
JP
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, St. Vincent Hospitals and Health Services, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA.
Geisler
H E
HE
Miller
G A
GA
Wiemann
M C
MC
Zhou
Z
Z
Crabtree
W
W
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D004260:DNA Repair; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008875:Middle Aged; D051718:MutS Homolog 2 Protein; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000032:analysis*; D013194:Staining and Labeling
D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; C497172:MSH2 protein, human; D051718:MutS Homolog 2 Protein