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. 2016 Sep 27;7(39):63042-63053.
doi: 10.18632/oncotarget.11642.

Prognostic impact of the expression of Wnt-signaling proteins in cervical carcinoma FIGO stage I-IV treated with radiotherapy or chemoradiotherapy

Louise Bohr Mordhorst  1 , Cecilia Ahlin  1 , Bengt Sorbe  1
Affiliations

Prognostic impact of the expression of Wnt-signaling proteins in cervical carcinoma FIGO stage I-IV treated with radiotherapy or chemoradiotherapy

Louise Bohr Mordhorst et al. Oncotarget. .

Abstract

Wnt signaling proteins were assessed in patients with primary cervical carcinomas who received chemoradiation. The associations between three Wnt signaling proteins and prognosis were assessed. Specimens from 122 patients with cervical carcinomas (FIGO stage I-IV) were immunohistochemically (IHC) analyzed for β-catenin, APC and axin protein expression. Associations between these Wnt-protein expressions, clinicopathological factors, and clinical outcome data were examined.Positive IHC staining for the β-catenin protein (cell-membranes, cytoplasm and nuclei) was recorded in 88%, 58% and 5%, respectively. There was a strong association between β-catenin staining of the cell-membranes and prediction of recurrences and prognosis (p = 0. 002). Tumors with > 5% of nuclear β-catenin staining were associated with inferior cancer-specific survival (p = 0.048) compared with no staining. The overall recurrence rate was significantly higher in the group with increased nuclear staining (67%) compared with the group with no staining (33%). Nuclear APC staining of high intensity was associated with a significantly worse cancer-specific survival and increased overall recurrence rate compared to tumors with weak staining. Distant recurrences were recorded in 29% of cases with intense staining and in 14% of cases with low staining.The Wnt signaling pathway seems to be of importance in the process of cervical oncogenesis. A predictive and prognostic value was found for β-catenin, where strong cell-membrane staining was favorable, and > 5% positive nuclear staining was associated with poorer cancer-specific survival and overall recurrence rate. Nuclear APC staining intensity was also associated with a less favorable prognosis.

Keywords: APC; Wnt signaling pathway; cervical carcinoma; β-catenin.

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Conflict of interest statement

CONFLICTS OF INTEREST

The authors declare no conflicts of interest in this study.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Microscopic slides of immunohistochemical staining of the Wnt-signaling proteins β-catenin, PC and axin
Illustrating the data in Table 2 and 3.
Figure 2
Figure 2. Cancer-specific survival rate vs. intensity of β-catenin membrane staining
Figure 3
Figure 3. Cancer-specific survival rate vs. nuclear β-catenin staining
Figure 4
Figure 4. Cancer-specific survival rate vs. intensity of nuclear APC staining
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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