title: Prognostic significance of co-overexpression of bcl-2 and c-erbB-2/neu in uterine cervix carcinomas and premalignant lesions.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To establish the role of co-overexpression of bcl-2 and cerbB- 2/neu protooncogenes in uterine cervix carcinogenesis, we examined 138 tissue samples of low grade cervical squamous intraepithelial lesions (SIL), high grade SIL, cervical carcinoma in situ and cervical invasive carcinoma, stage IA-IIA (study group) and 36 samples without SIL or malignancy (control group).
  
  
  METHODS
  The expression of bcl-2 and c-erbB-2/neu was detected immunohistochemically using a monoclonal antibody. Fisher's exact test (p less than 0.05) was used to assess statistical significance.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Co-overexpression of Bcl-2 and c-erbB-2/neu was found to increase in direct relation to the grade of the squamose intraepitelial lesions (SIL) of cervix. Statistically significant difference was found in the frequency of co-overexpression in patients with high grade SIL (12/22, p=0.006), cervical carcinoma in situ (10/22, p=0.018) and cervical invasive carcinoma (12/26, p=0.012), in relation to the control group. High sensitivity was of great diagnostic significance for the detection of these types of changes in the uterine cervix.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  On the basis of high predictive values it can be said that in patients with co-overexpression of bcl-2 and c-erbB-2/neu overexpression there is a great possibility that they have premalignant or malignant changes in the uterine cervix. However, a more extensive series of samples and additional tests are required to establish the prognostic significance of these oncogenes in cervical carcinogenesis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Kragujevac, Serbia. protrka.zoran@gmail.com
authors.forename: Zoran
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Protrka
authors.forename: Slobodan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Arsenijević
authors.forename: Petar
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Arsenijević
authors.forename: Slobodanka
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mitrović
authors.forename: Vesna
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Stanković
authors.forename: Miloš
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Milosavljević
authors.forename: Jasmina
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Nedović
authors.forename: Tatjana
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kastratović
authors.forename: Janko
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Durić
mesh_terms: D002278:Carcinoma in Situ / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D011230:Precancerous Conditions / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011379:Prognosis; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / Q000378:metabolism*; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D002578:Uterine Cervical Dysplasia / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases