Immunohistochemical expression of hormone receptors, Ki-67, endoglin (CD105), claudins 3 and 4, MMP-2 and -9 in endometrial polyps and endometrial cancer type I

Gustavo Filipov Peres; Daniel Spadoto-Dias; Flávia Neves Bueloni-Dias; Nilton José Leite; Leonardo Vieira Elias; Maria Aparecida Custódio Domingues; Carlos Roberto Padovani; Rogério Dias

doi:10.2147/OTT.S160014

Immunohistochemical expression of hormone receptors, Ki-67, endoglin (CD105), claudins 3 and 4, MMP-2 and -9 in endometrial polyps and endometrial cancer type I

Onco Targets Ther. 2018 Jul 9:11:3949-3958. doi: 10.2147/OTT.S160014. eCollection 2018.

Authors

Gustavo Filipov Peres¹, Daniel Spadoto-Dias¹, Flávia Neves Bueloni-Dias¹, Nilton José Leite¹, Leonardo Vieira Elias¹, Maria Aparecida Custódio Domingues², Carlos Roberto Padovani³, Rogério Dias¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, ddias.sp@fmb.unesp.br.
² Department of Clinical Pathology.
³ Department of Biostatistics, Institute of Biosciences, Botucatu Medical School, São Paulo State University, Botucatu, São Paulo, Brazil.

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the malignant potential of endometrial polyps (EP) by assessing the immunoexpressions of both estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR), Ki-67 cell proliferation index, neovascularization network (endoglin - CD105), cellular adhesion molecules (claudins 3 and 4), and extracellular matrix proteins (MMP-2 and -9) in both EP and endometrioid adenocarcinoma (type I) in comparison with the normal endometrium.

Study design: This is a cross-sectional comparative study. Patients were identified from the database of Botucatu Medical School, São Paulo State University (BMS-UNESP) Clinical Pathology Laboratory.

Setting: The study was conducted using a convenience sample of patients attending the Sectors of Gynecologic Endoscopy and Family Planning and Gynecologic Oncology of the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics of BMS-UNESP, Brazil.

Patients: A total of 90 women were allocated into the following three groups: EP without atypia (EP, n=30), endometrioid endometrial cancer (EC, n=30), and normal endometrium (control, n=30).

Methods: Epidemiological and clinical data were obtained by reviewing medical records. Adenocarcinoma and control cases were assessed using the tissue microarray technique. The immunoexpressions of ER, PR, Ki-67, CD105, claudins 3 and 4, and MMP-2 and -9 were assessed in paraffin blocks containing sections of the largest polyploid lesion fragment and tissue microarray recipient blocks.

Major results: Compared to the control group, significant differences in the expression of ER (P<0.001), PR (P<0.05), Ki-67 (P<0.001), CD105 (P<0.001), and claudin 3 (P<0.001) were observed in EP and EC. No significant differences were found between EP and EC (P≥0.05). MMP-2 and -9 expression were nearly absent in all groups.

Conclusion: The malignant potential of EP could not be determined through the immunohistochemical parameters used in this study. No MMP-2 or -9 expression was observed in any endometrial tissue sample. Further studies are necessary for a better understanding of the biomolecular mechanisms underlying endometrial carcinogenesis.

Keywords: endometrial neoplasia; endometrium/pathology; immunohistochemistry; polyps/epidemiology.