EMX2 is downregulated in endometrial cancer and correlated with tumor progression

EMX2 (the human homologue of Drosophila empty spiracles gene 2) is a candidate tumor suppressor. However, its roles in endometrial cancer are still unknown. In this study, we evaluated EMX2 expression in different subtypes of endometrial cancer and its relationships with clinicopathologic characteristics. By immunohistochemical staining, we investigated the level of EMX2 protein in 122 endometrial cancer and 25 normal endometrium tissues. Correlations between EMX2 expression and clinicopathologic features of patients were analyzed using a statistical software. Compared with the normal endometrium, the expression of EMX2 was significantly downregulated in endometrial cancer tissues (P< 0.001). Reduced EMX2 expression was correlated with the tumor stage (P = 0.023), grade (P = 0.016), and the depth of myometrial invasion (P = 0.04), but not with age, pathologic subtype, lymph node metastasis, lymph vascular space invasion, or ER/PR/p53 status. Downregulation of EMX2 was associated with tumor progression and may be a critical factor in the carcinogenesis and progression of endometrial cancer, which provided a novel therapeutic target and a potential marker for prognostic prediction.