Study of expression of PTEN and Cyclin D1 in endometrium at a tertiary care centre

ABSTRACT

Background: To study the expression of PTEN (Phosphatase and Tensin homologue) and Cyclin D1 in normal, hyperplastic and neoplastic endometrium by immunohistochemistry and to corroborate the interrelationship between PTEN and Cyclin D1 in normal to neoplastic endometrial disorders including endometrial carcinoma.Methods: Formalin fixed paraffin embedded (FFPE) sections of spectrum of endometrium in fifty different cases were taken from secretory phase to endometrial carcinoma and subjected to Immunohistochemistry using PTEN and Cyclin D1 .Results: Immunoreactivity was regarded as positive when brown staining was localized in the nuclei or cytoplasm. The intensity of nuclear staining was graded from 0 to 3+ and the extent was semi quantitatively estimated. If less than 10% of cells were positive a score of 0 was given, 11 % to 30% cell positivity was scored as 1+, 31% to 60 % positivity was scored as 2+ and more than 60% positive cells was labelled as 3+. Statistical analysis was performed with Chi-Square test and significant differences were noted between these 3 groups (p value < 0.05).Conclusions: The present study supports that an inverse correlation exists in the expression of PTEN and Cyclin D1 in normal, hyperplastic and neoplastic endometrium. The decreased PTEN expression is a marker of the earliest endometrial premalignant lesions, and we propose that use of PTEN immunostaining may be informative in identifying premalignant lesions that are likely to progress to carcinoma. Cyclin D1 expression in endometrial glands increases progressively in intensity and extent from normal endometrium to hyperplasia to carcinoma.