Correlation between WT1 expression and cell proliferation in endometrial cancer.

BACKGROUND The Wilms' tumor gene WT1 is overexpressed in endometrial cancer. Although recent studies have revealed that WT1 is a new prognostic factor, it remains unclear whether WT1 plays a pathophysiological role including cell proliferation. PATIENTS AND METHODS A series of 70 endometrial cancer patients who had undergone a curative resection was studied by immunohistochemistry to determine the correlation between WT1 expression and cell proliferation (proliferating cell nuclear antigen; PCNA). RESULTS WT1 expression was observed in 64 cases (91%). WT1 expression was associated with advanced FIGO stage (p=0.0228), myometrial invasion (p=0.0114) and high-grade histological differentiation (p=0.0004), indicating up-regulation of WT1 expression with tumor progression. A positive correlation between PCNA labeling index and score of WT1 expression was observed (p=0.0081, rho=0.319). CONCLUSION These results showed that WT1 might regulate cell proliferation in endometrial cancer.