Immunohistochemical expression of epidermal growth factor receptor, E-cadherin, and matrix metalloproteinase–9 in ovarian epithelial cancer and relation to patient deaths

Ovarian cancer is the most frequent cause of death from gynecologic cancer in the world. Current prognostic factors do not allow reliable prediction of response to chemotherapy and survival for individual ovarian cancer patients. Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), E-cadherin, and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)–9 are frequently studied in cancer; but their prognostic value in ovarian carcinoma remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the immunohistochemical expression of EGFR, E-cadherin, and MMP-9 in 120 cases of ovarian epithelial carcinoma; their relation to each other; their relation to histologic type, grade, and stage; and their relation to death rates after 3years of follow-up. Our results show that EGFR and MMP-9 were overexpressed extensively in high grades and advanced stages especially in nonserous carcinomas. E-cadherin was gradually lost in advanced cancers. There was a positive relation between the 3 antibodies and between them and the death rates. There is a strong relationship between EGFR and MMP-9, and this relation may occur by affecting E-cadherin. The present study provides a rationale for evaluating drugs that target these new pathways that may be promising in ovarian cancer treatment.