Overexpression of S100A14 in human serous ovarian carcinoma

S100 calcium binding protein A14 (S100A14) is a member of the S100 protein family that plays an important role in the progression of several types of cancer. In the present study, the expression and clinical effect of S100A14 was evaluated in serous ovarian carcinoma (SOC). SOC tissue specimens and a panel of normal ovarian and fallopian tubal tissue specimens were obtained between November 2008 and August 2012 from the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was used to detect the expression of S100A14 in the SOC and normal control tissues. In addition, ELISA was performed to assess S100A14 expression in a subset of serum samples. The association between the expression of S100A14 in SOC and the corresponding clinical and pathological data was analyzed. The IHC results revealed that S100A14 was mainly located in the cytoplasm of the majority of SOC cells, and the expression levels of S100A14 in the tumor tissues were significantly increased compared with the levels identified in normal ovarian specimens (P<0.001). Consistently, the serum levels of S100A14 in patients with SOC were also increased compared with the levels in healthy individuals (P<0.001). S100A14 expression was similar in the epithelium of SOC lesions and the fallopian tube, which supported the dualistic model for ovarian serous carcinogenesis. Additional analysis of the expression of S100A14 and corresponding clinical and pathological data revealed the correlation between the elevated expression of S100A14 and resistance to platinum-based chemotherapy. However, the protein level of S100A14 was not associated with the pathological stage, differentiation or metastasis of SOC. Overall, the present results demonstrate that S100A14 is likely to be involved in the resistance of SOC to platinum-based chemotherapy.