bcl-2 and p53 in endometrial adenocarcinoma

bcl-2 protein is expressed in normal endometrium and seems to be under hormonal control. Its role in endometrial carcinoma (EC) is largely unknown. EC can serve as a good model to investigate the role of bcl-2 in hormone-dependent neoplasia, because EC shows a spectrum of hormonally induced changes in which bcl-2 might have a potential role. p53, a tumor suppressor gene, is the most commonly mutated gene in human cancer and is a frequent abnormality in advanced EC. There is interaction between p53 and bcl-2 proteins in the regulation of physiological programmed cell death and in malignant processes. In this study, we performed immunohistochemical investigations of the expression of bcl-2 and p53 in 57 ECs, along with estrogen and progesterone receptors (ERs, PRs), to correlate the expression patterns of bcl-2 and p53 in different grades of EC with relation to clinicopathologic parameters. The average age of the patients was 61 years. Among 57 ECs, there were 13 noninvasive ECs and 44 ECs with various depths of invasion. p53 was positive in 21 of 57 cases, and bcl-2 was positive in 42 of 57. ER and PR were positive in 24 of 57 cases; PR and ER alone were positive in 15 and 2 cases, respectively. bcl-2 expression is present in ECs, and its expression is related to grade and stage. bcl-2 expression is strongly associated with PR, whereas p53 is associated with higher grade and is inversely related to PR positivity.