title: [The expression of EMT associated protein CK-18 and vimentin in gestational trophoblastic disease ].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To analyze the expression and clinicopathologic features of epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) associated protein of cytokeratin-18 (CK-18) and vimentin in gestational trophoblastic disease (GTD).
  
  
  METHODS
  Immunohistochemistry was used to determine theexpression of CK-18 and vimentin in normal pregnancy villis (39 cases), hydatidiform mole (HM) (33 cases) and gestational trophoblastic neoplasia (GTN) (invasive mole 27 cases and choriocarcinoma 5 cases).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The GTN group had significantly lower levels of CK-18 compared with the normal pregnancy villis group and the HM group (P<0. 01). Vimentin was weakly positive in all kinds of trophocyte. There was no significance among normal pregnancy villis, HM and GTN groups (P> 0. 05). In HM, expression level of CK18 was significantly lower with the increase of the pathological malignancy (P<0. 01). And in GTN, the expression of CK-18 was significantly lower with the increase of the tumor anatomy stage (P<0. 001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The expression of CK-18 decreases with the increase of tropohblast malignancy, which indicates that CK-18 may be involved in malignant transformation of trophocytes and EMT may play an important role in the malignant transformation of GTN.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiatong University, China.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Cai
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xue
authors.forename: Rui-fang
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: An
mesh_terms: D058750:Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition; D005260:Female; D031901:Gestational Trophoblastic Disease / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D006828:Hydatidiform Mole / Q000378:metabolism; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D053538:Keratin-18 / Q000378:metabolism*; D011247:Pregnancy; D014594:Uterine Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism; D014746:Vimentin / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: C488421:KRT18 protein, human; D053538:Keratin-18; D014746:Vimentin