Advances in Clinical and Experimental Medicine

Title abbreviation: Adv Clin Exp Med
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ISSN 1899–5276 (print)
ISSN 2451-2680 (online)
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Advances in Clinical and Experimental Medicine

2008, vol. 17, nr 1, January-February, p. 45–52

Publication type: original article

Language: English

The Expression of Progesterone Receptor Isoforms in Endometrial Cancer

Ekspresja izoform receptora progesteronowego w raku endometrium

Magdalena Tłaczała1,, Marian S. Gabryś1,, Jerzy Rabczyński2,, Agnieszka Hałoń2,, Maria Słomczyńska3,, Joanna Grześko4,, Marek Elias4,, Andrzej Wojnar5,, Cyprian Goluda4,

1 1st Department of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Silesian Piasts University of Medicine in Wrocław, Poland

2 Department of Pathomorphology, Silesian Piasts University of Medicine in Wrocław, Poland

3 Departament of Animal Physiology Institute of Zoology, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland

4 2nd Department of Gynaecology, Obstetrics and Neonatology Silesian Piasts University of Medicine in Wrocław, Poland

5 Lower Silesian Oncology Centre, Institute of Pathomorhology, Wrocław, Poland

Abstract

Background. Endometrial cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors affecting women. It has also been established that hormones, estrogens and progesterone, play an unquestionable role in its etiology. Progesterone acts in all tissues through the progesterone receptor (PR), which belongs to the steroid receptor superfamily. PR exists as two isoforms, PRA and PRB, which differ in structure and function and their role in the pathogenesis of endometrial cancer is still unknown.
Objectives. The goal of this study was to evaluate PRA and PRB progesterone receptor expression in endometrial cancer in relation to histological grade and the relationship between patient survival rate and the isoforms’ expressions.
Material and Methods. Analysis of the presence of PRA and PRB in the examined tissues was conducted using immunohistochemical methods.
Results. All immunohistochemical parameters of PRA and PRB isoform expression were lower in moderately differentiated than in well−differentiated endometrial cancer tissues, but these differences were not statistically significant. Comparison of PRA and PRB expression in well and poorly differentiated cancer showed that this expression is significantly lower in the latter. Both expressions were also lower in poorly differentiated than in moderately differentiated cancer. A slight decrease in five−year survival rate in patients with low expressions of both PRA and PRB was observed.
Conclusion. Disorders of the progesterone receptor isoforms occur in all histological grades of endometrial cancer, although as a rule this only seems to be significant in cases of poorly differentiated cancer tissues.

Streszczenie

Wprowadzenie. Rak błony śluzowej trzonu macicy należy do najczęściej występujących nowotworów złośliwych u kobiet. Stwierdzono, że hormony, zarówno estrogeny jak i progesteron, odgrywają niekwestionowaną rolę w jego etiologii. Progesteron wywiera działanie w tkankach przez receptor progesteronowy (PR) należący do nadrodziny receptorów steroidowych. Receptor progesteronowy występuje w postaci dwóch izoform: PRA i PRB, różniących się zarówno strukturalnie, jak i funkcjonalnie, a ich rola w patogenezie raka endometrium pozostaje wciąż niewyjaśniona.
Cel pracy. Ocena ekspresji izoform PRA i PRB w raku endometrium w zależności od stopnia zróżnicowania histologicznego nowotworu oraz ocena zależności między ekspresją izoform a przeżyciem pacjentek.
Materiał i metody. Ocenę występowania PRA i PRB w badanych tkankach przeprowadzono z użyciem metody immunohistochemicznej.
Wyniki. Wszystkie parametry reakcji immunohistochemicznej były niższe w rakach średnio zróżnicowanych niż w rakach dobrze zróżnicowanych, choć otrzymane różnice nie były istotne statystycznie. Porównanie ekspresji PRA i PRB w dobrze i nisko zróżnicowanych rakach endometrium wykazało, że jest ona istotnie niższa w nisko zróżnicowanych nowotworach niż w dobrze zróżnicowanych. Ekspresja obu izoform była również niższa w rakach nisko zróżnicowanych niż w średnio zróżnicowanych. Zaobserwowano także nieznaczne skrócenie przeżycia pacjentek z niską ekspresją zarówno PRA, jak i PRB.
Wnioski. Zaburzenia ekspresji izoform receptora progesteronowego stwierdzono we wszystkich stopniach zróżnicowania histologicznego raka endometrium, najwyraźniej jednak są zaznaczone w rakach nisko zróżnicowanych..

Key words

endometrial cancer, isoforms, progesterone, receptors, steroid

Słowa kluczowe

rak błony śluzowej trzonu macicy, izoformy, progesteron, receptory, steroid

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