title: Cancer stem cell and embryonic development-associated molecules contribute to prognostic significance in ovarian cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Embryonic molecules and cancer stem cell signaling resemble each other, and they organize cancer modality. We hypothesized that similar immunohistochemical expressions between tumor spheroids and patients' samples compared with clinical relevance would give an important clue in patients' prognosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Immunohistochemical expression of c-kit, Notch1, Jagged1, and Delta1 in 50 cases of primary ovarian tumors (10 endometrioid, 10 serous, 10 mucinous adenocarcinoma, 10 borderline serous, and 10 borderline mucinous tumors) and MDAH-2774 spheroids were investigated. Results were compared in both spheroids and tumor samples with morphologic parameters (histological grade) and clinical data (age, stage, tumor size, and metastasis).
  
  
  RESULTS
  High c-kit and Notch1 immunoreactivity was shown in spheroids, but interestingly immunoreactivity of these molecules in tumor samples was different from patients' clinicopathological characteristics. In serous carcinoma, metastasis correlated with Notch1 immunoexpression; in mucinous carcinoma, Jagged1 immunohistochemistry correlated with grade, stage, and metastasis of tumor; in borderline serous and mucinous tumors, Jagged1 correlated with high grade. Moreover, Jagged1 correlated with stage and Notch1 with size in borderline mucinous tumor. Endometrioid carcinoma statistics showed that there was a correlation between age and Notch1 expression.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Notch1, Jagged1, and Delta1 expressions might be useful markers for clinical prognosis of ovarian carcinomas; and Notch pathway, one of the most intensively studied putative therapeutic targets, may be a useful marker for cancer. Consequently, Jagged1 could be a marker for tumor grades and Notch1 as a marker for metastases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Histology and Embryology, Ege University School of Medicine, Izmir, Turkey. gulperi.oktem@ege.edu.tr
authors.forename: Gulperi
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Oktem
authors.forename: Muzaffer
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sanci
authors.forename: Ayhan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bilir
authors.forename: Yusuf
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yildirim
authors.forename: Sibel D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Kececi
authors.forename: Sule
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ayla
authors.forename: Sevinc
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Inan
mesh_terms: D002288:Adenocarcinoma, Mucinous / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000378:metabolism*; D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D018269:Carcinoma, Endometrioid / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D000077216:Carcinoma, Ovarian Epithelial; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D000072100:Jagged-1 Protein; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D008875:Middle Aged; D060787:Neoplasm Grading; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D009375:Neoplasms, Glandular and Epithelial / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D011379:Prognosis; D019009:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-kit / Q000378:metabolism*; D051881:Receptor, Notch1 / Q000378:metabolism*; D000072099:Serrate-Jagged Proteins; D018874:Spheroids, Cellular
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; C000606273:JAG1 protein, human; D000072100:Jagged-1 Protein; D008565:Membrane Proteins; C497761:NOTCH1 protein, human; D051881:Receptor, Notch1; D000072099:Serrate-Jagged Proteins; C064045:delta protein; D019009:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-kit