Caveolin-1‘s dual impact on endometrioid endometrial carcinoma: a histopathological and immunohistochemical study

ABSTRACT

The objectives of this study are to evaluate caveolin-1 expression in endometrioid endometrial cancer and its correlation with clinicopathological parameters. Forty-four cases of endometrioid endometrial carcinomas underwent radical hysterectomy. The archived paraffin sections that were stained for caveolin-1 by immunohistochemistry, caveolin-1 expression were detected in cancerous epithelial cells in 18.2% of the cases, and stromal caveolin-1 was detected in 65.9% of the cases. Caveolin-1 expression in the epithelium showed a significant positive association with the T stage and the FIGO stage. Positive caveolin-1 expression in epithelium has a direct, positive and significant relationship with invasion of other organs and a direct and significant relationship with the advanced FIGO stage. As for caveolin-1 expression in the stroma, it showed a significant negative inversely significant association with myometrial invasion. Also, there is a significant negative association between caveolin-1 expression in the epithelium and its expression in the stroma. We conclude that caveolin-1 expression strongly plays a critical role in endometrioid endometrial carcinoma as a tumor suppressor or promoter of invasion. In early lesions, high stromal levels appear to be protective against progression. While decreased stromal expression and increased epithelial expression were associated with aggressive tumors.

KEYWORDS:

• Endometrial carcinoma
• Caveolin-1
• tumor suppressor
• promoter of invasion

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Authors’ contribution

All authors read and approved the manuscript.

Research conception and design: SAM, RMS, MSA, SAM and YYA; experiments: YYA, RMS, MSA and SAM; statistical analysis of the data: RMS, MSA; interpretation of the data: SAM, RMS, MSA, SAM and YYA; writing of the manuscript: YYA, RMS; work revision and final approval: SAM, RMS, MSA, SAM and YYA.

Availability of data and material

The dataset generated in the current study is available from the corresponding author on demand.

Ethical approval

The study was approved by the members of the Medical Research Ethics, Cairo University Ethical Committee (CODE: MD-364-2021).

Additional information

Funding

No external funding sources are related to this work.