Expression of focal adhesion kinase in patients with endometrial cancer: a clinicopathologic study.
BACKGROUND
The pp125 focal adhesion kinase (FAK) plays a pivotal role in tumor cell signaling. Focal adhesion kinase expression has been linked to tumor cell proliferation, invasion, and metastasis, but data on endometrial cancer are inconclusive.


METHODS
We assess FAK expression by immunohistochemistry in endometrial cancer for its value to predict patient prognosis.


RESULTS
Of 134 endometrial cancer cases, 120 (89%) revealed moderate and strong expressions of FAK, whereas weak expression was found in 14 (11%) tumors. Kaplan-Meier analysis indicated a clear trend toward improved survival rates for patients with endometrial carcinomas weakly expressing FAK, and notably, there was neither lymph node metastasis nor tumor-related death in this patient subgroup. Increased expression of FAK correlated with higher histological tumor grade (P = 0.002), lymphatic vascular space invasion (P = 0.003), and vascular space invasion (P = 0.02). Significant prognostic survival variables were tumor stage (P < 0.01), histological type (P < 0.01), tumor grade (P = 0.028), and pelvic lymph node status (P = 0.035). Multivariate Cox regression analysis identified histological tumor grade as a significant independent predictor of patient survival (hazards ratio, 2.71; P = 0.03).


CONCLUSIONS
Further studies are warranted to elucidate whether FAK expression analysis is a suitable tool in stratifying patients at different risks of disease progress, and wether FAK might become a new molecular target for endometrial anticancer therapy.
Gabriel
Boris
B
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Freiburg University Medical Center, Freiburg, Germany. boris.gabriel@uniklinik-freiburg.de
Hasenburg
Annette
A
Waizenegger
Miriam
M
Orlowska-Volk
Marzenna
M
Stickeler
Elmar
E
zur Hausen
Axel
A
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000378:metabolism; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D018450:Disease Progression; D016889:Endometrial Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D051417:Focal Adhesion Kinase 1 / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D016019:Survival Analysis
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D051417:Focal Adhesion Kinase 1; C496050:PTK2 protein, human