| Abstrakt: |
Introduction. This study aimed to relations between the expression of the Twist transcription factor, the content of tumour-associated macrophages (TAMs), and clinicopathological indicators of tumour progression in patients with stages I-II and III endometrial cancer (EC). Material and methods. Surgical specimen from 45 patients with endometrioid carcinoma of the endometrium (ECE) (average age -- 60.1 ± 2.3 y.o.) were investigated using morphological, immunohistochemical, flow cytofluorometry and statistical methods. Results. Nuclear expression of Twist was determined in 47.1% of ECE samples with individual fluctuations in the range of 6.3-43.0%, which was 16.6 ± 2.9% on average. Twist expression in G3 endometrial tumours and those with deep invasion into the myometrium tended to increase (21.4 ± 4.3 and 18.0 ± 3.5%, respectively) as compared with the expression of this marker in G2-tumors and the ones, invading < 1/2 of the myometrium (13.2 ± 3.3 and 16.7 ± 3.9%, respectively). Positive expression of Twist in ECE was associated with reduced expression of E-cadherin (44.3 ± 3.8%) and increased expression of vimentin (33.9 ± 3.4%), the content of TAMs in the stromal component of the tumour (30.2 ± 3.7 cells/f.v.), and microvessels density (MVD) (46.5 ± 5.4 vessels/mm²) as compared with the same indices for ECE with negative expression of Twist (61.4 ± 4.7%, p < 0.05; 14.6 ± 3.1%, p < 0.05; 18.0 ± 2.4 cells/f.v., p < 0.05 and 34.3 ± 4.7 vessels/mm2, respectively). Conclusions. Higher content of stromal TAMs and higher MVD are observed in Twist-positive endometrial carcinomas as compared with the same indices in Twist-negative neoplasms which are associated with different morphological specificities of invasive processes in the endometrium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
