Pair-Box (PAX8) protein-positive expression is associated with poor disease outcome in women with endometrial cancer.
BACKGROUND
The Pax8 transcription factor genes have a role in cell differentiation and cell growth, and silencing of Pax8 in cell cultures results in cell death. The aims of this study were to determine the expression and correlation of Pax8 protein with several clinicopathological variables in patients with endometrial cancer.


METHODS
The following clinical parameters from 229 patients were used for correlation with Pax8 expression; age, histological subtype, myometrial depth of invasion, lymphovascular invasion (LVI), the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics grade, lymph nodes status, and disease status.


RESULTS
A positive association of Pax8(+) expression was found with high tumour grade (P=0.002), LVI+(P=0.0186), and type II tumour subtype (P<0.0001) in univariate analysis. Survival analysis showed an association of Pax8 and 5-year overall survival probability (P=0.01486), 80.04% for patients with Pax8(-) and 55.59% for patients with Pax8(+). There was also an association of Pax8 and 5-year disease-free survival probability (P=0.02028), 72.12% for patients with Pax8(-) vs 49.88% for patients with Pax8(+). Finally, an association of Pax8(+) and shorter recurrence-free survival was also found (P=0.00203), with 74.36% for Pax8(-) and 52.11% for Pax8(+).


CONCLUSIONS
Overexpression of Pax8 protein by endometrial cancer is associated with poor disease outcomes. Inhibition of Pax8 may be a very attractive targeted therapy for selective patients.
Department of Pathology at Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, NY, USA. pfauceglia@hotmail.com
P
P
Mhawech-Fauceglia
D
D
Wang
D
D
Samrao
H
H
Godoy
T
T
Pejovic
S
S
Liu
S
S
Lele
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D018450:Disease Progression; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D016889:Endometrial Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008875:Middle Aged; D009215:Myometrium / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D000072636:PAX8 Transcription Factor; D051761:Paired Box Transcription Factors / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D011379:Prognosis; D016019:Survival Analysis
D000072636:PAX8 Transcription Factor; C083325:PAX8 protein, human; D051761:Paired Box Transcription Factors