Tumor suppressor in lung cancer 1 gene expression in epithelial ovarian cancer.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: Loss of Tumor Suppressor in Lung Cancer 1(TSLC1) was observed in many different cancers, but there were only limited research on TSLC1 gene and its roles in cancer suppression in ovarian cancer. This study explores the relationship between TSLC1 gene expression and the ovarian epithelial cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Expression levels of TSLC1 were detected by immunohistochemical staining on formal‑fixed paraffin embedded pathological specimen. A total of 259 samples were collected, including 24 benign ovarian tumor and 235 malignant ovarian cancers among them. RESULTS: Suppressed expression of TSLC1 protein was observed in 87.8% of poorly differentiated, 85.1% of moderately differentiated, and 46% of well differentiated ovarian epithelial cancers, respectively. There were none suppressed TSLC1 expression in benign ovarian tumor. Kruskal‑Wallis test showed a significant association between the expression levels of TSLC1 gene and the degree of ovarian cancer differentiation (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Decreased expression of TSLC1 is associated with the differentiation in ovarian epithelial cancer. TSLC1 might be used as a molecular marker of severity in early stage ovarian cancer, and to help differentiating benign and malignant ovarian tumors.