Abstract:

Objective To evaluate the expression of Caveolin-1 in endometrial carcinoma and investigate its association with pathological features. Methods Caveolin-1 expression was determined by immunohistochemistry and Western blot using rabbit polyclonal antibody in 45 cases of endometrial carcinoma，35 cases of hyperplastic endometrium，and 35 cases of normal endometrium.Caveolin-1 mRNA levels in endometrial carcinoma tissue were determined using real-time PCR. Results Immunohistochemistry and Western blot showed different rates of positive expression of Caveolin-1 in the different types of endometrium. Caveolin-1 expression tended to increase with degree of malignancy（P<0.05）.Among cases with endometrial carcinoma，Caveolin-1 expression was much higher in patients with lymph node metastasis （P=0.001），and it was higher in stages Ⅱ and Ⅲ+Ⅳ than in stage （P=0.002，P=0.040）. Caveolin-1 expression was much higher in moderate and low-grade endometrial carcinoma than in high-grade endometrial carcinoma （P＜0.001，P=0.020）. Conclusions Caveolin-1 expression is higher in endometrial carcinoma than in hyperplastic or normal endometrium，and it correlates significantly with tumor stage and lymph node metastasis.Caveolin-1 may play an important role in endometrial carcinoma progression.

Key words: Uterine neoplasms, Endometrial carcinoma, Caveolin-1, Immunohistochemistry