Expression and significance of PTEN in ovarian epithelial neoplasms

Objective To investigate the expression and significance of phosphatase and tensin(PTEN) in ovarian epithelial neoplasms.Methods The PTEN protein was detected in 57 samples of ovarian epithelial carcinomas,20 samples of benign ovarian epithelial tumors and 10 normal ovarian issues by immunohistochemistry.Results The positive rate of PTEN expression was significantly lower in ovarian epithelial carcinomas(38.6%) than that(100%) in benign ovarian epithelial tumors and that(95.0%) in normal ovary tissues(P0.05).The level of positive expression of PTEN was negatively correlated with clinical stages and histological grades(P0.05).The positive rate of PTEN expression in serous carcinoma was 36.84%,but only one of eight endometrioid ovarian cancers expressed PTEN.Conclusion Down-regulation of PTEN expression might play an important role in the oncogenesis of ovarian epithelial carcinomas.The negative expression of PTEN correlates closely with the oncogenesis of endometrioid ovarian cancer.