title: Expression and clinical significance of sperm-associated antigen 9 in patients with endometrial carcinoma.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the expression and humoral immune response of sperm-associated antigen 9 (SPAG9) in endometri al carcinoma.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sperm-associated antigen 9 gene expression levels were evaluated in endometrial carcinoma, endometrial hyperplasia, adjacent tissues, and normal endometrial tissues by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction, immunohistochemistry, and Western blot. Sperm-associated antigen 9 concentration in serum samples from 10 healthy women, 20 women with benign diseases, and 50 women with endometrial carcinoma was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.
  
  
  RESULTS
  (1) Sperm-associated antigen 9 antibodies were detected in approximately 72% of patients with endometrial cancer but not in healthy controls. (2) A significant difference has been found among pathological types and degrees (P < 0.05), and it was also found to be expressed in transferred lymph nodes. (3) Sperm-associated antigen 9 serum concentration (ng/mL) of patients with endometrial carcinoma is significantly higher than those of the healthy group (P < 0.05). Patients harboring grade 3 endometrial carcinoma were found to have significantly higher SPAG9 concentrations than those of grade 1/grade 2 (P = 0.003).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  SPAG9 is positively expressed in endometrial cancer, and with a high humoral immune response in patients. It may serve as a new type of endometrial cancer markers for early detection, diagnosis and treatment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University, Shandong, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Peng
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Xiaoyan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Xingbo
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhao
mesh_terms: D048868:Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D000231:Adenocarcinoma, Papillary / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D015153:Blotting, Western; D018269:Carcinoma, Endometrioid / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004714:Endometrial Hyperplasia / Q000378:metabolism; D016889:Endometrial Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D060787:Neoplasm Grading; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
chemical_list: D048868:Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; C111047:SPAG9 protein, human