14-3-3sigma expression and prognostic value in patients with epithelial ovarian carcinoma: a high throughput tissue microarray analysis.
OBJECTIVE
14-3-3sigma is a potential tumor suppressor gene that when it is silenced by CpG methylation can contribute to cancer development. Previously, we showed that hypermethylation of 14-3-3sigma in human ovarian cancer and ovarian cancer cell lines, and that 14-3-3sigma hypermethylation correlated with loss of its expression by immunohistochemistry. In the present study, our aim is to determine the value of 14-3-3sigma in predicting disease outcome in series of patients with epithelial ovarian cancer.


METHODS
A tumor microarray (TMA) of 192 patients with a very detailed characteristic and follow-up was performed. The slides were immunostained with 14-3-3sigma antibody and its expression was correlated with age, tumor types, grade, stage, volume of residual tumor, response to therapy, overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS).


RESULTS
A marginal association with the volume of residual tumor after surgery (chi2 p = 0.044, Fischer's exact 0.051) was seen. There was no association between loss of 14-3-3sigma expression and any of age, stage, grade, tumor subtypes, and clinical response to therapy. Survival analysis according to Kaplan-Meier method showed that loss of 14-3-3sigma expression was not associated with OS or DFS (p = 0.702, p = 0.118, respectively).


CONCLUSIONS
Even though 14-3-3sigma is involved in ovarian tumorigenesis, it does not have a prognostic value as a biomarker to predict patients' outcome.
Mhawech-Fauceglia
P
P
Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, NY 14263, USA. pmhawech1@yahoo.com
Herrmann
F R
FR
Andrews
C
C
South
S
S
Beck
A
A
Lele
S
S
Odunsi
K
K
D048948:14-3-3 Proteins; D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000601:surgery; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D005092:Exonucleases / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D005095:Exoribonucleases; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000601:surgery; D011379:Prognosis; D016019:Survival Analysis; D046888:Tissue Array Analysis
D048948:14-3-3 Proteins; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D005092:Exonucleases; D005095:Exoribonucleases; C413442:SFN protein, human