| Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3946925 | Gynecologic Oncology | 2012 | 6 Pages |
ObjectiveOvarian cancer is the most lethal of all gynecologic malignancies. It is characterized by the spread of intraperitoneal tumors, accumulation of ascites, and formation of tumor blood vessels. Cyclin I has been linked with angiogenesis-related proteins, like vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and VEGF receptor 2 (VEGFR-2), in human breast cancer. We examined whether an association exists between expression of cyclin I, VEGFR-2, clinicopathologic parameters and survival of patients with epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC).MethodsCyclin I and VEGFR-2 expressions were analyzed by immunohistochemistry in 55 human primary EOC tissue specimens.ResultsCyclin I immunoreactivity was significantly correlated with VEGFR-2 (R = 0.4587, P = 0.0004), and immunolabeling of cyclin I and VEGFR-2 significantly correlated with cancer cells' proliferative activity evaluated using cyclin A labeling index as a marker (R = 0.3107, P = 0.0209 and R = 0.4183, P = 0.0015, respectively). VEGFR-2 immunostaining was significantly higher in advanced, poorly differentiated, and suboptimally resected EOCs compared to their counterparts (P < 0.05). Finally, higher VEGFR-2 expression was significantly associated with shorter disease-free survival (P = 0.0437).ConclusionsOur results indicate that elevated expression of cyclin I and VEGFR-2 is likely to provide a proliferative advantage to the EOC cells, and that cyclin I may be linked with angiogenesis in EOC. Higher expression of VEGFR-2 is associated with more advanced disease. Further investigation of cyclin I in ovarian cancer is needed to evaluate if cyclin I may become a novel target for an anticancer therapy.
► Cyclin I correlates with VEGFR-2 and proliferation of EOC cells. ► Cyclin I may be linked with angiogenesis in EOC. ► VEGFR-2 expression is higher in advanced EOCs.
