Expression of PTEN Gene Protein in Gallbladder Carcinoma Tissue

Objective To investigate the expression of tumor suppressor gene PTEN protein in gallbladder carcinoma tissues and its clinicopathological significance. Methods PTEN protein expression in paraffin embedded tissues from 28 cases of gallbladder adenocarcinoma, 4 cases of gallbladder squamous cell carcinoma and their adjacent tissue was analysed by immunohistochemical method. Results Adjecent tissues of 32 carcinoma were all positive for PTEN protein. In the 32 carcinoma of gallbladder 34.4% were positive for PTEN protein, 65.6% lacked expression of PTEN protein. PTEN expression did not show correlation to sex, age and pathology type of gallbladder carcinoma, but there was a significant difference between well-differentiated carcinoma (75.0% PTEN positive) and poorly-differentiated carcinoma (25.0% PTEN positive). Conclusion There is a higher incidence of negative expression of PTEN protein in gallbladder carcinoma, which indicates that PTEN gene inactivation may play an important role in the genesis and development of gallbladder carcinoma. PTEN protein positive expression may be a feature for favorable prognosis in the patient with gallbladder carcinoma.