An exploratory analysis of g-synuclein expression in endometrioid endometrial cancer

Objective: This study aims to investigate the expression of g-synuclein in endometrioid endometrial carcinoma and assess if the g-synuclein expression correlates with the aggression of the tumour and its prognostic value in endometrioid endometrial carcinoma. Design: This retrospective study evaluated (60) specimens of the primary untreated endometrioid endometrial carcinoma and (12) normal endometrium tissues, and the expression of g-synuclein was checked by immunohistochemistry. The correlation between g-synuclein expression and the clinicopathological features of patients with endometrioid endometrial carcinoma was analysed, and SPSS V.13.0 software was used for statistical analysis. Results: The expression of g-synuclein was positive in 48.3% (29/60) endometrioid endometrial carcinomas compared with the control group, and the difference was significant (p1⁄40.001). The expression level of gsynuclein in endometrioid endometrial carcinoma was closely associated with FIGO (International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics) stages, the depth of myometrial invasion and lymph nodes metastases (p<0.05), but not correlated with the histopathological grades, the patient’s age and the expression of ER (estrogen receptor) and PR (progesterone receptor) (p>0.05). In univariate and multivariate analyses, the g-synuclein expression was significantly associated with a shorter overall survival (95% CI 1.429 to 101.892, p1⁄40.020). Conclusions: This study suggests that the expression of g-synuclein is expected to be a useful marker for endometrioid endometrial carcinoma invasion, metastasis and prognosis in endometrioid endometrial carcinoma. INTRODUCTION Endometrial carcinoma is one of the most common gynaecological malignancies, and its incidence has recently increased, in the Western countries and in China. Patients with advanced stage endometrial carcinoma frequently exhibits a poor prognosis, even after radical resection combined with radiotherapy or chemotherapy. These poor outcomes are closely associated with the progression and metastasis of the disease. There are two different pathogenetic types of endometrial carcinoma. And the endometrioid adenocarcinoma, which is known as the first pathogenetic type of endometrial cancer, is the most common tumour among the endometrial carcinomas. Thus, a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying the aggressive behaviour of endometrioid endometrial carcinoma is necessary to identify potential targets for efficient therapy. g-Synuclein, initially identified as a breast cancer-specific gene 1 (BCSG1), maps to chromosome region 10q23 and is composed of five exons and transcribed into a messenger RNA of about 1 kb, coding 127 amino acids. It is a member of synucleins family of small proteins, which is consisting of three known members, synuclein To cite: Zou J, Fan YJ, Meng YQ, et al. An exploratory analysis of g-synuclein expression in endometrioid endometrial cancer. BMJ Open 2012;2:e000611.