Problem: Aberrant expression of human leukocyte antigen-G (HLA-G) in various malignancies has been shown to participate in tumour development by suppressing immune regulation within the tumour microenvironment. The detection of HLA-G has reportedly been correlated with certain clinicopathological parameters in several neoplasms. Both the soluble and membranous forms of HLA-G are biologically active, and therefore, we aimed to evaluate the HLA-G level by Western blot technique.
Method of study: The total amount of HLA-G protein was analyzed in the primary tumour in 113 tissue samples derived from patients with endometrial cancer. The HLA-G protein level was measured by Western Blot technique and was analyzed with respect to the clinicopathological parameters.
Results: Human leukocyte antigen-G protein levels were statistically significantly higher in the cancerous tissues derived from the women with advanced endometrial cancer than those from women with early stage disease. Moreover, we showed that endometrial cancer patients with lymph node metastases had statistically significantly higher HLA-G levels in the primary uterine tumour.
Conclusion: The aberrant expression of HLA-G antigens by malignant cells could be one of the strategies tumour cells use to escape immune surveillance. The presence of HLA-G within the cancer nest and its microenvironment would seem to be linked to disease progression.
Keywords: HLA-G; endometrial cancer; sHLA-G.
© 2018 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.