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PTEN expression in tamoxifen-associated endometrial cancers
David Holtz1, Lois M Ramondetta, Thomas W Burke
1Thomas Jefferson University, 111S 11th Street, 620 Gibbon Building, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA.
Unlabelled:
Tamoxifen is associated with increased rates of endometrial hyperplasia and adenocarcinoma. Our previous work suggested tamoxifen-associated endometrial cancers might be associated with p53 mutations. PTEN, a tumor suppressor gene, is altered in low-grade endometrial carcinoma. This study evaluates PTEN immunohistochemical (IHC) expression in tamoxifen-associated endometrial cancers.
Materials And Methods:
Twenty-eight endometrial carcinoma specimens were examined from patients with a history of breast cancer. Patients who had taken Tamoxifen (15) were compared to non-users (13). IHC staining was performed for PTEN; overexpression was defined as greater than 70% positivity.
Results:
The mean duration of tamoxifen use was 3.3 years (3-171 months). Four out of 15 (27%) tamoxifen users expressed PTEN compared with 2 out of 13 (15%) of non-users.
Conclusion:
In this study, it appears that tamoxifen-associated endometrial cancers are not significantly different from sporadic endometrial cancer with regards to PTEN IHC expression, although there is a trend towards retained PTEN expression.