Endometrial cancer prognosis correlates with the expression of L1CAM and miR34a biomarkers

Abstract

BackgroundPatients with endometrial cancer (EC) and presumably with good prognosis may develop a recurrence indicating that the classification of this tumor is still not definitive and that new markers are needed to identify a subgroup at risk of relapse. The cell adhesion molecule L1CAM is highly expressed in several human carcinomas and has recently been described as a new marker for endometrial and ovarian carcinomas. The aim of this study was to determine the relevance of L1CAM in recurrent EC.MethodsIn this work we have analyzed, by immunohistochemical and RT-qPCR analysis, the expression of L1CAM in a cohort of 113 endometrial cancers at different stages, which 50% have relapsed. As a predictor of good outcome, the tumors were also analyzed for the expression of miR-34a, a post-transcriptional regulator of L1CAM.ResultsAmong metastatic EC, the highest levels (60%) and the median level (24%) of L1CAM in tumors correlate with the progression, suggesting that the expression of this molecule is linked to the tumor component most involved in metastatic processes. We also found an inverse correlation between miR-34a and L1CAM protein expression, suggesting that miR-34a is a positive prognostic marker of EC.ConclusionsOur results demonstrate the expression of L1CAM and miR-34a in EC as prognostic factors that identify subgroup of patients at high risk of recurrence suggesting for them more aggressive schedules of treatment.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s13046-018-0816-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Curcumin anti‐tumor effects on endometrial cancer with focus on its molecular targets

“…MiRNA-34a is one of those miRNAs which are involved and exert several roles in EC [ 58 – 61 ]. For instance, miR-34a is down-regulated in EC in comparison with normal tissue, and this down-regulation is linked with a poorer prognosis [ 60 ].…”

High L1CAM expression predicts poor prognosis of patients with endometrial cancer

“…Endometrioid endometrial cancer is estrogen-dependent and characterized by a series of genetic mutations in mismatch repair genes or PTEN tumor suppressor genes. [ 2 ] The endometrium in endometrioid endometrial cancer shows endometrioid hyperplasia, and patients usually experience favorable outcomes. The histological and pathogenetic features of non-endometrioid endometrial cancer are considerably different from those of endometrioid endometrial cancer.…”

Identification of Potential Crucial Genes Associated With the Pathogenesis and Prognosis of Endometrial Cancer

“…Along with the development of next-generation sequencing, a large number of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) have been discovered between EC tissue and normal endometrium tissue, which have been applied to characterize EC into four subtypes (Church et al, 2013). Furthermore, a few DEGs can be used as biomarkers for EC risk stratification and prognosis (O’mara et al, 2016; Corrado et al, 2018). However, only a few studies have conducted a comprehensive analysis of DEGs related to risk judgment and prognosis of EC.…”