ABSTRACT

To examine the relationship between clinicopathologic features and nuclear phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome 10 (PTEN) expression in a homogeneous group of Stage IB-IC sporadic endometrioid endometrial cancer (EEC) patients.

This study was conducted on 65 consecutive EEC patients with FIGO Stage IB-IC disease who underwent initial complete surgical staging. Age, body mass index (BMI), tumor grade, immunohistochemical nuclear PTEN expression and clinical outcome were examined. The median follow-up period was 49 months (range, 8 to 78 months).

Immunohistochemical staining revealed positive nuclear PTENexpression in 20 cases (30.8%). Nuclear PTEN was found out to be reduced in 36 cases (55.4%), whereas it was completely lost in nine cases (13.8%). After evaluating the staining status, 45 cases (69.2%) were judged as “negative” for nuclear PTEN expression. During the follow-up period, clinical recurrence of disease was documented in five of 65 women (7.7%). The 5-year disease free survival rate for patients with positive nuclear PTEN expression was similar to that for patients with negative nuclear PTEN expression (75.2% vs. 91.3%, respectively; p=0.728 [log-rank test]). The mean body mass index (BMI) of positive nuclear PTEN expressing cases was significantly greater than that of patients with negative nuclear PTEN expression (32.5±6.5 vs. 28.5±5.0, respectively; p=0.009).

Lost/reduced nuclear PTEN expression was frequent in FIGO Stage IB/IC EEC. BMI is the only clinicopathologic variable affecting immunohistochemical nuclear PTEN expression.

Keywords: Nuclear PTEN expression, Immunohistochemistry, Body Mass Index, Endometrial cancer