Expression of decay accelerating factor in endometrial adenocarcinoma is inversely related to the stage of tumor.
OBJECTIVE
Decay accelerating factor (DAF) is implicated in protection of cell membrane from toxicity of complement. In this study, we investigated a hypothesis that DAF is up-regulated in the endometrial adenocarcinoma, which could increase potential of malignant cells to escape destruction by complement.


METHODS
DAF density was evaluated in endometrial biopsies of patients with adenocarcinoma at various stages and compared with ten endometrial biopsies from non-malignant patients at the proliferative phase.


RESULTS
DAF expression in normal proliferative endometrium varied between 1 and 30%. While DAF density in patients with stage I cancer was in the range 56-98% (mean 78%), stage III values varied from 28 to 16% (mean 21%), P < 0.05. DAF density in the well-differentiated Ishikawa cell line was two-fold higher than in metastatic cell line AN3CA.


CONCLUSIONS
Our findings are consistent with a hypothesis that endometrial adenocarcinoma of early stage that is exposed to complement attack may up-regulate DAF to protect malignant cells from complement lysis.
Nowicki
S
S
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston 77555-1062, USA.
Nowicki
B
B
Pham
T
T
Hasan
R
R
Nagamani
M
M
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D018958:CD55 Antigens / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D016889:Endometrial Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
D018958:CD55 Antigens