title: Heparanase messenger RNA expression in epithelial ovarian tumor.
abstract: Endoglycosidic heparanase degrades heparan sulfate glycosaminoglycans, and may be important in cancer invasion and metastasis, although its expression in human epithelial ovarian cancer has not been characterized. Heparanase association with clinicopathological features regarding prognostic significance was examined in patients presenting with epithelial ovarian tumor. Gene expression of heparanase was assessed by reverse transcription-PCR in 5 borderline and 31 malignant epithelial ovarian tumors. Heparanase mRNA expression was high in 16 of 31 malignant epithelial ovarian tumors. In contrast, there was no specimen presenting high heparanase mRNA expression in five borderline epithelial ovarian tumors. Heparanase expression was significantly higher in tumors with massive ascites and high grade (p=0.049 and p=0.006, respectively). There was no association between heparanase expression and patient outcome. These findings provide evidence that heparanase expression may be associated with a high grade phenotype in this class of neoplasm.
authors: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Okayama University Medical School, 2-5-1 Shikata-cho, Okayama 700-8558, Japan. kodama@cc.okayama-u.ac.jp
authors: Junichi
authors: J
authors: Kodama
authors: Yasuhiro
authors: Y
authors: Shinyo
authors: Gaowa
authors: G
authors: Hashen
authors: Atsushi
authors: A
authors: Hongo
authors: Mitsuo
authors: M
authors: Yoshinouchi
authors: Yuji
authors: Y
authors: Hiramatsu
mesh_terms: D002277:Carcinoma / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D005966:Glucuronidase / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism*; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D000099175:Heparanase
chemical_list: D005966:Glucuronidase; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D000099175:Heparanase