Immunohistochemical expression of syndecan-1 in human endometrial cancer cells

There are indications of increased frequency of endometrial cancer, one of the most common malignancies in women. Tissue samples of normal and malignant endometria were obtained post operatively from 30 women. We noted expression of syndecan-1 in 40% of investigated cancers. The most differentiated cancers showed 75% of positively stained specimens, moderately differentiated 40% and poorly differentiated neoplasm did not stain at all. In normal endometrial tissue syndecan-1 expression was regular and distinct in each specimen, but immunoreactivity of the hyperplastic endometrial specimens was absent. The detection of syndecan-1 in endometrial cancer of different clinical and histological stages could be of prognostic value in clinical diagnosis.