title: The expression of aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 (ALDH1) in ovarian carcinomas and its clinicopathological associations: a retrospective study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 (ALDH1) is widely used as a specific cancer stem cell marker in a variety of cancers, and may become a promising target for cancer therapy. However, the role of its expression in tumor cells and the microenvironment in different cancers is still controversial.
  
  
  METHODS
  To clarify the clinicopathological effect of ALDH1 expression in ovarian carcinoma, a series of 248 cases of paraffin-embedded formalin fixed ovarian carcinoma tissues with long term follow-up information were studied by immunohistochemistry.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The immunostaining of ALDH1was variably detected in both tumor cells and the stromal cells, although the staining in tumor cells was not as strong as that in stromal cells. Statistical analyses showed that high ALDH1 expression in tumor cells was significantly associated with histological subtypes, early FIGO stage, well differentiation grade and better survival probability (p < 0.05). The expression of ALDH1 in the stromal cells had no clinicopathological associations in the present study (p > 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  High expression of cancer stem cell marker ALDH1 in ovarian carcinoma cells may thus portend a favorable prognosis, but its expression in tumor microenvironment may have no role in tumor behavior of ovarian carcinomas. More studies are warranted to find out the mechanisms for this.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Pathology, The Norwegian Radium Hospital, Oslo University Hospital, Ullernchausseen 70, 0379, Oslo, Norway.|Departments of Pathology, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Ruixia
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Departments of Pathology, The Norwegian Radium Hospital, Oslo University Hospital, Ullernchausseen 70, 0379, Oslo, Norway.|Departments of Pathology, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Xiaoran
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Departments of Pathology, The Norwegian Radium Hospital, Oslo University Hospital, Ullernchausseen 70, 0379, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Ruth
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Holm
authors.affiliation: Departments of Gynaecology, The Norwegian Radium Hospital, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.|Departments of Gynaecology, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Claes G
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Trope
authors.affiliation: Departments of Pathology, The Norwegian Radium Hospital, Oslo University Hospital, Ullernchausseen 70, 0379, Oslo, Norway.|Departments of Pathology, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Jahn M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Nesland
authors.affiliation: Departments of Pathology, The Norwegian Radium Hospital, Oslo University Hospital, Ullernchausseen 70, 0379, Oslo, Norway. zhenhes@medisin.uio.no.|Departments of Pathology, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway. zhenhes@medisin.uio.no.
authors.forename: Zhenhe
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Suo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000080924:Aldehyde Dehydrogenase 1 Family; D005260:Female; D015870:Gene Expression; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007527:Isoenzymes / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008875:Middle Aged; D060787:Neoplasm Grading; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D011379:Prognosis; D050697:Retinal Dehydrogenase / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D007527:Isoenzymes; D000080924:Aldehyde Dehydrogenase 1 Family; C510223:ALDH1A1 protein, human; D050697:Retinal Dehydrogenase