Affiliation:
1. Department of Pathology and Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Minia University, Minia, Egypt
Abstract
Abstract
Background and objective
Endometrial carcinoma was ranked the sixth most common female cancer worldwide. Previous studies reported that Ghrelin–signal transductors and activators of transcription 5 (STAT5) axis could modulate many tumors’ behavior. Therefore, we investigated the expressions of Ghrelin and STAT5 in endometrioid carcinoma (EC). Moreover, we tried to find a diagnostic marker to differentiate atypical hyperplasia (AH) from well-differentiated EC.
Patients and methods
One hundred-eight formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded specimens were cut, and each specimen was stained with STAT5 and Ghrelin separately using immunohistochemistry.
Results
STAT5 expression was detected in 78.6% of EC. This expression was significantly increased with increasing EC grade (P=0.04) and myometrial invasion depth (P=0.01). In contrast, there was a decrease in Ghrelin expression with lesion progression from cyclic endometrium, and endometrial hyperplasia to EC, which was statistically significant (P=0.002). Moreover, a negative association was noticed between Ghrelin expression and histological grades, depth of myometrial invasion, presence of lymph node metastasis, and tumor stage (P=0.01, 0.05, 0.003, and 0.002, respectively).
Conclusion
STAT5 is associated with differentiation and invasion in EC and can be targeted for therapeutic management. Additionally, Ghrelin can be a sensitive marker to distinguish AH and well-differentiated EC.