title: Cytoplasmic Maspin Expression Correlates with Poor Prognosis of Patients with Adenocarcinoma of the Uterine Cervix.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Maspin is known to be a tumor suppressor protein and its prognostic significance in patients with several types of cancer has been reported. To date, however, no study has focused on the association between maspin expression and the prognosis of patients with adenocarcinoma of the uterine cervix. We explored the prognostic value of maspin expression with particular reference to its subcellular localization in patients with adenocarcinoma of the uterine cervix.
  
  
  METHODS
  Paraffin-embedded tissue samples from 46 patients diagnosed as adenocarcinoma of the uterine cervix were immunohistochemically analyzed using an antibody for maspin. The patients were followed up for 3 to 165 months (median: 64.2 months) and the prognostic value was evaluated by the log-rank test and the Cox regression hazard model.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A sample was considered maspin-positive if maspin was expressed in only the cytoplasm; 69.6% (32 cases) of the specimens were maspin-positive, and there was significant correlation between positivity and recurrence (P = 0.022). Maspin-positive patients had both shorter disease free survival and shorter overall survival by the log-rank test (P = 0.023, P = 0.043, respectively). By Cox's multivariate analysis, the International Federation of Obstetrics and Gynecology (FIGO) status was the only independent prognostic factor for disease free survival and overall survival in patients with adenocarcinoma of the uterine cervix.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This is the first report to reveal an association between cytoplasmic maspin expression and the prognosis of patients with adenocarcinoma of the uterine cervix. Although further studies with a larger series of patients and a longer follow up period are necessary, the present results suggest that cytoplasmic maspin expression could be an indicator of unfavorable prognosis in patients with adenocarcinoma of the uterine cervix.
authors.affiliation: Division of Organ Pathology, Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Tottori University Faculty of Medicine, Yonago 683-8503, Japan.
authors.forename: Kanae
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nosaka
authors.affiliation: Division of Organ Pathology, Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Tottori University Faculty of Medicine, Yonago 683-8503, Japan.
authors.forename: Yasushi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Horie
authors.affiliation: †Department of Pathology, Tottori University Hospital, Yonago 683-8504, Japan.
authors.forename: Tatsushi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shiomi
authors.affiliation: ‡Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine, Iwate Medical University, Morioka 020-8505, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroaki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Itamochi
authors.affiliation: §Division of Reproductive-Perinatal Medicine and Gynecologic Oncology, Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, Tottori University Faculty of Medicine, Yonago 683-8503, Japan.
authors.forename: Tetsuro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Oishi
authors.affiliation: §Division of Reproductive-Perinatal Medicine and Gynecologic Oncology, Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, Tottori University Faculty of Medicine, Yonago 683-8503, Japan.
authors.forename: Muneaki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shimada
authors.affiliation: §Division of Reproductive-Perinatal Medicine and Gynecologic Oncology, Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, Tottori University Faculty of Medicine, Yonago 683-8503, Japan.
authors.forename: Shinya
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sato
authors.affiliation: Division of Organ Pathology, Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Tottori University Faculty of Medicine, Yonago 683-8503, Japan.
authors.forename: Tomohiko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sakabe
authors.affiliation: §Division of Reproductive-Perinatal Medicine and Gynecologic Oncology, Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, Tottori University Faculty of Medicine, Yonago 683-8503, Japan.
authors.forename: Tasuku
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Harada
authors.affiliation: Division of Organ Pathology, Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Tottori University Faculty of Medicine, Yonago 683-8503, Japan.
authors.forename: Yoshihisa
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Umekita
keywords: adenocarcinoma; immunohistochemistry; maspin; uterine cervix