title: Clinicopathological correlation of endocan expression and survival in epithelial ovarian cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Endothelial-cell-specific molecule-1 or endocan is a proteoglycan with tumorigenic activity through both its glycan and protein cores. Endocan mRNA is identified as one of the most significant molecular signatures defining a poor prognosis in lung, breast, kidney, and hepatocellular cancer.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To assess the clinical value of endocan expression in ovarian cancer tissues in association with other prognostic factors and its impact on overall survival.
  
  
  METHODS
  Oncology unit of Zagazig University Hospitals, Egypt.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective observational cohort.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred primary ovarian cancer patients were recruited as study group, another 100 patients undergoing hysterectomy and oophorectomy due to uterine fibroid were the control group. Angiogenesis was determined by immunohistochemical staining, using anti-endocan, and anti vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) monoclonal antibodies.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Endocan was expressed in endothelium of ovarian cancer tissue specimens in all patients with no expression in endothelium of normal ovarian tissue in the control group. VEGF was also expressed in endothelium of all specimens of ovarian cancer tissue, compared with 70% expression in normal ovarian tissue specimens in the control group. A significant association was found between endocan-microvessel density (MVD) and tumor histology, tumor size, staging, and grading. No significant association was found between VEGF expression and any of the clinicopathological variables. Overall survival of patients was inversely associated with endocan-MVD (P < 0.01). Multivariate analysis showed that endocan-MVD was an independent prognostic marker for overall survival of epithelial ovarian cancer (P < 0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Endocan could be a reliable marker to predict the survival in epithelial ovarian cancer patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt, mbhry@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Manal M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: El Behery
authors.forename: Mahmoud A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Seksaka
authors.forename: Moustafa A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Ibrahiem
authors.forename: Hend S
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Saleh
authors.forename: Yehya
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: El Alfy
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000077216:Carcinoma, Ovarian Epithelial; D004534:Egypt / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D009375:Neoplasms, Glandular and Epithelial / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology*; D009389:Neovascularization, Pathologic; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology*; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011509:Proteoglycans / Q000378:metabolism*; D016019:Survival Analysis; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: C101134:ESM1 protein, human; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D011509:Proteoglycans; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A