Differential expression of WT1 and p53 in serous and endometrioid carcinomas of the endometrium

Abstract

Wilms' tumor antibody (WT1) has recently been reported to be reactive in most ovarian and peritoneal serous carcinomas, but few studies have looked at WT1 reactivity in endometrial carcinomas. p53, like WT1, is a tumor suppressor gene and in its mutated form is frequently present in endometrial serous carcinoma. Routine immunohistochemical staining for p53 and WT1 was performed in 70 endometrial carcinomas (39 endometrioid and 31 serous) of varying differentiation using tissue microarrays. Only 2 (7.5%) serous carcinomas and none of the endometrioid carcinomas (0%) were reactive for WT1. p53 immunoreactivity was found in 26 (83.9%) serous carcinomas and in 2 (5.1%) endometrioid carcinomas. We conclude that WT1 and p53 expression are not related and that WT1 expression in endometrial serous carcinoma differs from that of its extrauterine counterparts.