title: Prognostic significance of STAT3 and phosphorylated STAT3 in human soft tissue tumors - a clinicopathological analysis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) is a key signaling molecule and a central cytoplasmic transcription factor, implicated in the regulation of growth. Its aberrant activation has been demonstrated to correlate with many types of human malignancy. However, whether constitutive STAT3 signaling plays a key role in the survival and growth of soft-tissue tumors is still unclear and hence needs to be elucidated further. In our study we examined the expression levels of STAT3 and pSTAT3 in different grades of soft tissue tumors and correlated with its clinicopathological characteristics.
  
  
  METHODS
  Expression levels of STAT3 and pSTAT3 in soft tissue tumors were studied using Immunohistochemistry, Western blotting and Reverse transcriptase- PCR and correlated with its clinicopathological characteristics using Chi squared or Fisher's exact test and by logistic regression analysis. Statistical analysis was done using Intercooled Stata software (Intercooled Stata 8.2 version).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 82 soft tissue tumor samples, fifty four (65.8%) showed immunoreactivity for STAT3 and twenty eight (34.1%) for pSTAT3. Expression of STAT3 and pSTAT3 was significantly associated with tumor grade (P < 0.001; P < 0.001), tumor location (P = 0.025; P = 0.027), plane of tumor (P = 0.011; P = 0.006), and tumor necrosis (P = 0.001; P = 0.002). Western blotting and RT-PCR analysis showed increased expression of STAT3 and p-STAT3 as grade of malignancy increased.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings suggest that constitutive activation of STAT3 is an important factor related to carcinogenesis of human soft tissue tumors and is significantly associated with its clinicopathological parameters which may possibly have potential diagnostic implications.
authors.affiliation: Integrated Cancer Research, Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology, Kerala, India.
authors.forename: Diana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: David
authors.forename: Lakshmy M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Rajappan
authors.forename: Krishna
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Balachandran
authors.forename: Jissa V
authors.initials: JV
authors.lastname: Thulaseedharan
authors.forename: Asha S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Nair
authors.forename: Radhakrishna M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Pillai
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D010766:Phosphorylation; D011379:Prognosis; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D050796:STAT3 Transcription Factor / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D012983:Soft Tissue Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D012333:RNA, Messenger; D050796:STAT3 Transcription Factor