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Immunohistochemical expression of the tumour marker CA-125 in normal, hyperplastic and malignant endometrial tissue
I Mylonas1, J Makovitzky, D U Richter
11. Frauenklinik, Klinikum Innenstadt, Ludwig-Maximilians Universität, Maistrasse 11, 80337 Munich, Germany. ioannis_mylonas@gmx.de
Introduction:
The aim of this study was to determine the tissue distribution of CA-125 in normal, hyperplastic and malignant endometrium.
Materials And Methods:
Endometrial tissue was obtained from women in proliferative (n = 5), early secretory (ES; n = 4) and late secretory (LS; n = 4) phase as well as glandular-cystic hyperplasia (n = 5), endometrial polyps (n = 5), endometrial polyps caused by tamoxifen use (n = 5), adenomatous hyperplasia (AH) grade I (n = 5), grade II (n = 4), grade III (n = 5) and endometroid adenocarcinoma (n = 5). The CA-125 expression was evaluated with the semiquantitative IRS-Score.
Results:
CA-125 expression was observed in glandular and luminal epithelial cells, being significantly higher during LS than ES. The highest CA-125 reaction was observed in AH III in glandular and luminal cells, which was statistically higher compared to all groups (except glandular cells: proliferative and LS; luminal cells: AH I-II, glandular-cystic polyps).
Discussion:
CA-125 was expressed in normal, hyperplastic and malignant endometrial tissue with a cyclical expression in premenopausal endometrial glandular cells. Adenocarcinoma expressed CA-125 with a lower intensity. The highest expression was observed in AH III in luminal and glandular cells, therefore CA-125 could be a marker of malignant cell transformation.