title: Human kallikrein gene 11 (KLK11) mRNA overexpression is associated with poor prognosis in patients with epithelial ovarian cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to examine expression levels of the human tissue kallikrein 11 gene (KLK11) in epithelial ovarian tumors and to identify the relationship between KLK11 expression and patient survival.
  
  
  METHODS
  KLK11 mRNA expression was examined by semiquantitative PCR in 64 epithelial ovarian tumors (7 adenomas, 6 low malignant potential tumors, and 51 adenocarcinomas) and in 10 normal ovaries. Semiquantitative PCR results were correlated with clinicopathologic variables and overall survival. cDNA from human normal tissues and tumor tissues was also analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  KLK11 mRNA expression was detected in various human cancer tissues including breast, lung, colon, prostate, pancreas, and ovarian carcinoma. The mean value of relative KLK11 expression ratio was significantly higher in ovarian tumor samples than in normal ovary samples (compared with normal samples: adenoma, P = 0.0006; low malignant potential tumor, P = 0.0049; and carcinoma, P < 0.0001). No statistically significant associations between KLK11 mRNA expression level and clinical stage, histological type, or histological grade were observed. The log-rank test showed that high KLK11 mRNA expression and advanced clinical stage significantly correlated with poor patient survival (P = 0.0185 and P = 0.0043, respectively). High KLK11 mRNA expression and clinical stage remained significantly associated with overall survival (P = 0.0225 and P = 0.0202, respectively) after multivariate analysis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  KLK11 expression may play an important role in ovarian cancer development and act as an independent prognostic marker in ovarian cancer patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hiroshima University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Hiroshima, Japan. kazu@hiroshima-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Kazushi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Shigemasa
authors.forename: Lijun
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gu
authors.forename: Hirotoshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tanimoto
authors.forename: Timothy J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: O'Brien
authors.forename: Koso
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ohama
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D000236:Adenoma / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009375:Neoplasms, Glandular and Epithelial / Q000235:genetics*; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000401:mortality*; D010053:Ovary / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011379:Prognosis; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism*; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000378:metabolism; D013997:Time Factors; D014018:Tissue Distribution
chemical_list: D018076:DNA, Complementary; D012333:RNA, Messenger; C114880:trypsin-like serine protease; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases