Increased expression of galectin-1 during the progression of cervical neoplasia

Galectin-1, a member of the beta-galactoside-binding family, is widely expressed in epithelial and immune cells. It is involved in several normal and pathologic processes, such as cancer progression, metastasis, and immunobiology. Galectin-1 was found to be overexpressed in various cancer cells and the corresponding benign tissue. Therefore, it has been described as a marker for tumor progression in some malignancies. In the current study, the expression of galectin-1 was examined in 80 formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded cervical tissues: 20 benign cervical specimen, 20 low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (LGSIL), 20 high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HGSIL), and 20 invasive squamous cell carcinomas (ISCC). Immunohistochemical analyses showed that the intensity of the galectin-1 expression on stromal cells next to the transformed cells increased according to the pathologic grade: benign cervical tissue < LGSIL < HGSIL < ISCC (P < 0.001). The epithelial cells were always negative for galectin-1. These results suggest that galectin-1 expression on stromal cells increases with the histopathologic grade of cervical tissues, and it can be concluded that this increase is associated with the progression of cervical neoplasia.