title: Epithelial ovarian cancer with CD117 phenotype is highly aggressive and resistant to chemotherapy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  CD117 expression has a pathogenic role in many malignancies, including ovarian carcinoma. The aim of the present study was to examine the correlation of stemness-associated marker CD117 with the clinicopathologic features of epithelial ovarian cancer and patient survival.
  
  
  METHODS
  The analysis included 240 primary ovarian carcinomas (OC) diagnosed during the period from 2005 to 2011 in the region of South Serbia. Age, pathohistological characteristics, presence and size of residual tumor, choice of therapy and response to the therapy were studied.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Residual tumors were more frequently present in the patients with positive CD117 expression (18.1% vs 8.0%; P < 0.05). Chemotherapy according to paclitaxel/carboplatin protocol was more frequent in the patients with positive CD117 expression (70.9% vs 54.2%; P < 0.05), while carboplatin monotherapy was more frequent in the patients with negative CD117 expression (18.0% vs 6.4%; P < 0.05). Median survival time in patients with CD117-positive mucinous and endometrioid OC was significantly shorter, at 20 and 26.8 months, respectively. Median survival in serous OC was not related to CD117 expression.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Residual tumors and chemotherapy treatment were more frequent in patients with positive CD117 expression. The outcome was dependent on the type of OC; a worse outcome, including a shorter survival, was documented in the mucinous and endometrioid OC cases.
authors.affiliation: Clinic of Oncology, Clinical Center, Niš, Serbia.
authors.forename: Irena
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Conic
authors.affiliation: Clinic of Oncology, Clinical Center, Niš, Serbia.
authors.forename: Zorica
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Stanojevic
authors.affiliation: Center of Pathology, Clinical Center, Niš, Serbia.
authors.forename: Ljubinka
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Jankovic Velickovic
authors.affiliation: Center of Pathology, Clinical Center, Niš, Serbia.
authors.forename: Slavica
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Stojnev
authors.affiliation: Center of Pathology, Clinical Center, Niš, Serbia.
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ristic Petrovic
authors.affiliation: Center of Pathology, Clinical Center, Niš, Serbia.
authors.forename: Miljan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Krstic
authors.affiliation: Clinic of Gynecology, Clinical Center, Niš, Serbia.
authors.forename: Marko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Stanojevic
authors.affiliation: State University of Novi Pazar, Novi Pazar, Serbia.
authors.forename: Dragan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bogdanović
authors.affiliation: State University of Novi Pazar, Novi Pazar, Serbia.|Faculty of Medicine, University of Nis, Niš, Serbia.
authors.forename: Vladisav
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Stefanovic
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D010053:Ovary / Q000473:pathology; D019009:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-kit / Q000378:metabolism*; D055771:Serbia / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D019009:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-kit
keywords: CD117 expression; ovarian carcinoma; survival; treatment