Expression of PTEN in gallbladder carcinoma and clinicopathological significance

Objective:To investigate the expression of tumor suppressor gene PTEN protein in gallbladder carcinoma tissues and its clinicopathological significance.Methods: PTEN protein expression from 20 cases of cholecystitis and 30 cases of gallbladder carcinoma was analyzed by immunohistochmical method.Results: All patients with cholecystitis were positive for PTEN protein.In the 30 cases of gallbladder carcinoma,70.0% were positive for PTEN protein.PTEN expression did not show correlation to sex,age,but there was a significant difference between well-differentiated carcinoma and poorly-differentiated carcinoma.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.