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Haptoglobin Expression in Endometrioid Adenocarcinoma of the Uterus

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Abstract

Objective

Elevated serum haptoglobin (Hp) concentrations have been reported in patients with malignant diseases. We have shown that Hp is produced by and localizes only in the stroma and not the epithelium of endometriotic lesions, which share many characteristics of carcinoma. Furthermore, Hp mRNA and protein are found exclusively in the stroma of eutopic endometrium from women with endometriosis and not those without endometriosis. We hypothesized that characteristic patterns of Hp gene expression and protein localization in endometrioid adenocarcinoma of the uterus may provide insight into the clinical utility of Hp as a tumor marker or alternative therapeutic approach.

Methods

Biopsies of endometrioid adenocarcinoma tumors of the uterus and their adjacent nonaffected endometrium were collected. Normal endometrium was collected from healthy women. Haptoglobin messenger RNA (mRNA) levels were quantified by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (Q-PCR). Haptoglobin protein cell-specific localization was identified by immunohistochemistry.

Results

Haptoglobin mRNA levels were significantly greater (P < .005) in endometrioid adenocarcinoma and adjacent non-affected endometrial tissues than normal endometrium. No correlation was found between Hp levels and cancer stage (P = .673) or grade (P = .739). Haptoglobin protein localized in both stromal and glandular epithelial cells of endometrioid adenocarcinoma and their adjacent nonaffected tissue but not in control endometrium.

Conclusions

Our results have identified, for the first time, unique patterns of Hp mRNA expression and protein localization in the stromal and glandular epithelial cells of endometrioid adenocarcinoma of the uterus. We propose that this unique pattern of endometrioid adenocarcinoma Hp expression may be developed as a novel diagnostic marker. Modulation of Hp, with its immunomodulatory and angiogenic properties, may generate novel methods of prevention or treatment for endometrial cancer.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Reproductive and Perinatal Research, The Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Women’s Health, University of Missouri-Columbia, 1 Hospital Drive, N 625 HSC, Columbia, Missouri, 65212, USA

    Henda Nabli MS & Kathy L. Sharpe-Timms

  2. Division of Gynecologic Oncology, The Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma, USA

    Erin Tuller MD

Authors
  1. Henda Nabli MS
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  2. Erin Tuller MD
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  3. Kathy L. Sharpe-Timms
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kathy L. Sharpe-Timms.

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The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest.

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Nabli, H., Tuller, E. & Sharpe-Timms, K.L. Haptoglobin Expression in Endometrioid Adenocarcinoma of the Uterus. Reprod. Sci. 17, 47–55 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1177/1933719109346331

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