Sperm protein 17 is highly expressed in endometrial and cervical cancers

BMC Cancer

Research Article

Bo Wu¹  Hong-lin Yin¹  Yan-ling Han²  Qun Liu²  Fang-qiu Li² 

[1] Department of Pathology, Jinling Hospital, School of Medicine, Nanjing University, 210002, Nanjing, China;Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Institute of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Jinling Hospital, School of Medicine, Nanjing University, 210002, Nanjing, China;

关键词: Cervical Cancer;    Endometrial Cancer;    Gynecological Cancer;    Cervical Tissue;    Esophageal Squamous Cell Cancer;   

DOI  :  10.1186/1471-2407-10-429

 received in 2010-02-01, accepted in 2010-08-16,  发布年份 2010

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundSperm protein 17 (Sp17) is a highly conserved mammalian protein in the testis and spermatozoa and has been characterized as a tumor-associated antigen in a variety of human malignancies. Many studies have examined the role of Sp17 in tumorigenesis and the migration of malignant cells. It has been proposed as a useful target for tumor-vaccine strategies and a novel marker to define tumor subsets and predict drug response. This study aimed to investigate the expression of Sp17 in endometrial and cervical cancer specimens, its possible correlation with the pathological characteristics, and its value in the diagnosis and immunotherapy of the related cancers.MethodsThe monoclonal antibodies against human Sp17 were produced as reagents for the analysis and immunohistochemistry was used to study two major kinds of paraffin-embedded gynecological cancer specimens, including 50 cases of endometrial cancer (44 adenous and 6 adenosquamous) and 31 cases of cervical cancer (15 adenous and 16 squamous). Normal peripheral endometrial and cervical tissues were used as controls.ResultsSp17 was found in 66% (33/50) of the patients with endometrial cancer and 61% (19/31) of those with cervical cancer. Its expression was found in a heterogeneous pattern in the cancer tissues. The expression was not correlated with the histological subtype and grade of malignancy, but the staining patterns were different in endometrial and cervical cancers. The hyperplastic glands were positive for Sp17 in the normal peripheral endometrial and cervical tissues in 10% (8/81) of the patients.ConclusionsSp17 is highly expressed in human endometrial and cervical cancers in a heterogeneous pattern. Although the expression frequency of Sp17 is not correlated with the histological subtype, the staining pattern may help to define endometrial and cervical cancers. Sp17 targeted immunotherapy of tumors needs more accurate validation.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© Li et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. 2010