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Inhibin/activin-betaC subunit does not represent a prognostic parameter in human endometrial cancer
Stefanie D Käufl1, Christina Kuhn, Susanne Kunze
11st Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Munich, Germany.
Introduction:
Inhibins, dimeric peptide hormones composed of an α subunit and one of two possible β subunits (betaA or betaB), exhibit substantial roles in human reproduction and in endocrine-responsive tumors. Recently, two novel inhibin-beta subunits, defined as betaC and betaE, have been identified in humans. However, the prognostic significance and clinical implications of the novel inhibin-betaC subunit in endometrial cancers is still quite unclear.
Materials And Methods:
A series of 296 uterine endometrial carcinomas were immunohistochemically analyzed with specific antibody against the inhibin-betaC subunit. The staining reactions were correlated with several clinicopathological characteristics and the clinical outcome.
Results:
Endometrial cancer tissue demonstrated an immunolabelling against the inhibin-betaC subunit. The inhibin-betaC expression in endometrial carcinoma samples revealed a significant association with hemangiosis. However, the expression of this inhibin subunit did not affect patients' progression-free, cause-specific and overall survival.
Conclusion:
Overall, inhibin-betaC subunit was demonstrated in endometrial cancer tissue. This novel betaC subunit demonstrated a significant association with hemangiosis although without any impact on the patients' survival. Moreover, the inhibin-betaC subunits did not constitute an independent prognostic parameter in endometrial cancer patients. Therefore, the isolated analysis of this subunit might be of minor prognostic value in identifying high-risk patients.
