title: PTEN expression in patients with carcinoma of the cervix and its association with p53, Ki-67 and CD31.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate protein expression and mutations in phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) in patients with stage IB cervical squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC) and the association with clinical-pathologic features, tumor p53 expression, cell proliferation and angiogenesis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Women with stage IB CSCC (n=20 - Study Group) and uterine myoma (n=20 - Control Group), aged 49.1±1.7 years (mean±standard deviation, range 27-78 years), were prospectively evaluated. Patients with cervical cancer were submitted to Piver-Rutledge class III radical hysterectomy and pelvic lymphadenectomy and patients in the Control Group underwent vaginal hysterectomy. Tissue samples from the procedures were stained with hematoxylin and eosin for histological evaluation. Protein expression was detected by immunohistochemistry. Staining for PTEN, p53, Ki-67 and CD31 was evaluated. The intensity of PTEN immunostaining was estimated by computer-assisted image analysis, based on previously reported protocols. Data were analyzed using the Student's t-test to evaluate significant differences between the groups. Level of significance was set at p<0.05.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The PTEN expression intensity was lower in the CSCC group than in the Control (benign cervix) samples (150.5±5.2 versus 204.2±2.6; p<0.001). Our study did not identify any mutations after sequencing all nine PTEN exons. PTEN expression was not associated with tumor expression of p53 (p=0.9), CD31 (p=0.8) or Ki-67 (p=0.3) or clinical-pathologic features in patients with invasive carcinoma of the cervix.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings demonstrate that the PTEN protein expression is significantly diminished in CSCC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora, Juiz de Fora, MG, Brazil.
authors.forename: Luciano Fernandes
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Loures
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
authors.forename: Eduardo Batista
authors.initials: EB
authors.lastname: Cândido
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
authors.forename: Paula Vieira Teixeira
authors.initials: PV
authors.lastname: Vidigal
authors.affiliation: Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
authors.forename: Mariana Ataydes Leite
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Seabra
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
authors.forename: Luiz Armando Cunha de
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Marco
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
authors.forename: Agnaldo Lopes da
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Silva-Filho
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D019394:Ki-67 Antigen / Q000096:biosynthesis; D008875:Middle Aged; D009154:Mutation; D051059:PTEN Phosphohydrolase / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics*; D019408:Platelet Endothelial Cell Adhesion Molecule-1 / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 / Q000096:biosynthesis; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D019394:Ki-67 Antigen; D019408:Platelet Endothelial Cell Adhesion Molecule-1; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53; D051059:PTEN Phosphohydrolase; C494929:PTEN protein, human