Immunohistochemical study of HSP27 in ovarian cancer, 2nd report -determination of optimal evaluation method – *
Objectives '. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic value of the im-munohistochemical expression of heat shock proteins 27, 70 and 90 (HSP27, HSP70, HSP90) , p53 and Ki-67 in epithelial ovarian cancer patients. Methods : The relationship between the immunohistochemical expression of these markers and conventional clinicopathological parameters was studied in 68 epithelial ovarian cancer patients. Expression of these markers in the carcinomas (n = 68) and 29 borderline malignant tumors was compared. Survival analysis was performed using the Kaplan-Meier method, the Logrank test and multivariate analysis employing the Cox regression model. Results : Ki-67 expression was significantly higher (p< 0.01) in the carcinomas than in the borderline tumors. There were no significant differences in histological type, but serous adenocarcinomas tended to show frequent p53 expression. Positive correlation was observed between histological grade and HSP27, HSP70 and p53 expression (p< 0-05) ・ Although there was no statistically significant relationship between the expression of these markers and the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetricians (FIGO) stage or the recurrence rate, expression of HSP27 and p53 was frequently observed in stage M 蝣 IV patients and patients with recurrent tumors. Survival analysis demonstrated that HSP27 expression is significantly related to a poor survival rate (p<0.05) , but the relationship between p53 expression and a poor survival rate did not reach statistical significance. In multivariate analysis, stages M ・ IV and HSP27 expression retained independent prognostic values. Conclusion : The current study data suggest that HSP27 expression is the most significant factor related to a poor prognosis in epithelial ovarian cancer patients. (Accepted on June 9, 2003)
