Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2014, 15(4), 5292-5303; doi:10.3390/ijms15045292
Beclin 1 Expression in Ovarian Tissues and Its Effects on Ovarian Cancer Prognosis
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Shengjing Hospital Affiliated to China Medical University, No. 36 Sanhao Street, Heping District, Shenyang 110004, Liaoning, China
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Received: 30 December 2013 / Revised: 1 March 2014 / Accepted: 17 March 2014 / Published: 26 March 2014
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Molecular Oncology 2014)
Abstract
Beclin 1 is an autophagy-associated protein involved in apoptosis and drug resistance, as well as various malignancies. We investigated the expression of Beclin 1 protein in ovarian epithelial tissues and correlated it with the prognosis of ovarian cancer. Beclin 1 protein expression was determined using immunohistochemistry in 148 patients with ovarian epithelial cancer, 26 with ovarian borderline tumor, 25 with benign ovarian tumor, and 30 with normal ovarian tissue. The relationships between Beclin 1 protein expression and ovarian cancer pathological characteristics were analyzed. The risk factors for ovarian cancer prognosis were analyzed using Cox’s regression model. A survival curve was plotted from the follow-up data of 93 patients with ovarian cancer to analyze the effects of Beclin 1 expression on the prognosis of ovarian cancer. The positive rates of Beclin 1 were significantly higher in ovarian epithelial cancer (148) and borderline tumor (26) than in benign ovarian tumor (25) or normal ovarian tissue (30) (all p < 0.001). The surgical stage and Beclin 1 expression were both independent risk factors for ovarian cancer prognosis (both p < 0.05). Patients with high Beclin 1 levels showed better survival than those with low Beclin 1 levels (p = 0.009). Beclin 1 protein is upregulated in ovarian epithelial cancer and is a prognostic factor of ovarian cancer. View Full-TextKeywords:
autophagy; Beclin 1; ovarian cancer; prognosis; overall survival
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Cai, M.; Hu, Z.; Liu, J.; Gao, J.; Liu, C.; Liu, D.; Tan, M.; Zhang, D.; Lin, B. Beclin 1 Expression in Ovarian Tissues and Its Effects on Ovarian Cancer Prognosis. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2014, 15, 5292-5303.
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