title: Expression of apoptotic regulators and their significance in cervical cancer.
abstract: Insufficient apoptosis is implicated in many human cancers, including cervical carcinoma. The objectives of this study were to explore changes of apoptosis-regulating gene expression and their clinical significance in cervical cancer. The expression of apoptosis-regulating genes, including five Bcl-2 family and two caspase family members, was evaluated in 43 cervical invasive squamous cell carcinomas, using immunohistochemistry. Specimens in which >or=10% of the neoplastic cells showed cytosolic immunoreactivity were considered to be immunopositive. Results were correlated with clinico-pathologic characteristics of the subjects. All seven apoptotic regulators examined were positive in a proportion of the tumors. The percentage of cases expressing Bax was higher in the patients without evidence of disease after treatment than in the patients alive with disease or who died of disease (P<0.05). A significant difference in disease-free survival was detected between Bax-positive and -negative groups (P<0.05), and in overall survival between Mcl-1-positive and -negative groups (P<0.05). Significant association between the seven markers tested was only found for caspase 3 and Bak immunoreactivity in cervical carcinoma (P<0.05). The results demonstrate expression of multiple apoptosis-modulating proteins in cervical cancer. There appears to be complex regulation of apoptosis protein levels in association with clinical behavior of cervical squamous cell carcinoma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Prince of Wales Hospital, Shatin, N.T., Hong Kong.
authors.forename: T K H
authors.initials: TK
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.forename: T H
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Cheung
authors.forename: W K
authors.initials: WK
authors.lastname: Lo
authors.forename: S F
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Yim
authors.forename: M Y
authors.initials: MY
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Krajewski
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Reed
authors.forename: Y F
authors.initials: YF
authors.lastname: Wong
mesh_terms: D017209:Apoptosis; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000378:metabolism; D053148:Caspase 3; D020169:Caspases / Q000378:metabolism; D002470:Cell Survival; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D064549:Myeloid Cell Leukemia Sequence 1 Protein; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / Q000378:metabolism; D013997:Time Factors; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D050998:bcl-2 Homologous Antagonist-Killer Protein; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein
chemical_list: C494772:BAK1 protein, human; C494826:BAX protein, human; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D064549:Myeloid Cell Leukemia Sequence 1 Protein; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D050998:bcl-2 Homologous Antagonist-Killer Protein; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein; C505407:CASP3 protein, human; D053148:Caspase 3; D020169:Caspases