Abstract
Purpose
To evaluate the expression of c-kit (CD117) in endometrial hyperplasia and endometrial cancer.
Methods
Expression of c-kit in 10 normal endometrium, 18 simple endometrial hyperplasia, 16 complex endometrial hyperplasia (10 cases with atypia and 6 cases without atypia), and 6 endometrial cancer were investigated by immunohistochemistry.
Results
c-Kit expression decreased as the lesion progressed to endometrial cancer. Immunostaining was mostly focal and weak in the normal endometrium and was mostly diffuse and strong in the simple and complex endometrial hyperplasia.
Conclusions
Simple and complex hyperplastic endometrial tissues express diffuse cytoplasmic staining for c-kit and the expression decreases with the progression of the lesion.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Tresserra F, Lopez-Yarto M, Grases PJ, Ubeda A, Pascual MA, Labastida R (2003) Endometrial hyperplasia with secretory changes. Gynecol Oncol 88:386–393
Kurman RJ, Kaminski PF, Norris HJ (1985) The behavior of endometrial hyperplasia. A long-term study of “untreated” hyperplasia in 170 patients. Cancer 56:403–412
Wang L, Felix JC, Lee JL, Tan PY, Tourgeman DE, O’Meara AT, Amezcua CA (2003) The proto-oncogene c-kit is expressed in leiomyosarcomas of the uterus. Gynecol Oncol 90:402–406
McCulloch EA, Minden MD (1993) The cell surface receptor encoded by the proto-oncogene KIT and its ligand. Cancer Treat Res 64:45–77
Vliagoftis H, Worobec AS, Metcalfe DD (1997) The protooncogene c-kit and c-kit ligand in human disease. J Allergy Clin Immunol 100:435–440
Williams DE, de Vries P, Namen AE, Widmer MB, Lyman SD (1992) The steel factor. Dev Biol 151:368–376
Hibi K, Takahashi T, Sekido Y, Ueda R, Hida T, Ariyoshi Y, Takagi H (1991) Coexpression of the stem cell factor and the c-kit genes in small-cell lung cancer. Oncogene 6:2291–2296
Parrott JA, Kim G, Skinner MK (2000) Expression and action of kit ligand/stem cell factor in normal human and bovine ovarian surface epithelium and ovarian cancer. Biol Reprod 62:1600–1609
Natali PG, Nicotra MR, Sures I, Santoro E, Bigotti A, Ullrich A (1992) Expression of c-kit receptor in normal and transformed human nonlymphoid tissues. Cancer Res 52:6139–6143
Lammie A, Drobnjak M, Gerald W, Saad A, Cote R, Cordon-Cardo C (1994) Expression of c-kit and kit ligand proteins in normal human tissues. J Histochem Cytochem 42:1417–1425
Elmore LW, Domson K, Moore JR, Kornstein M, Burks RT (2001) Expression of c-kit (CD117) in benign and malignant human endometrial epithelium. Arch Pathol Lab Med 125:146–151
Inoue M, Kyo S, Fujita M, Enomoto T, Kondoh G (1994) Coexpression of the c-kit receptor and the stem cell factor in gynecological tumors. Cancer Res 54:3049–3053
Natali PG, Nicotra MR, Sures I, Mottolese M, Botti C, Ullrich A (1992) Breast cancer is associated with loss of the c-kit oncogene product. Int J Cancer 52:713–717
Natali PG, Berlingieri MT, Nicotra MR, Fusco A, Santoro E, Bigotti A, Vecchio G (1995) Transformation of thyroid epithelium is associated with loss of c-kit receptor. Cancer Res 55:1787–1791
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Yilmaz, E., Celik, O., Simsek, Y. et al. c-Kit proto-oncogene expression in endometrial hyperplasia and endometrial cancer. Arch Gynecol Obstet 286, 197–200 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00404-012-2276-8
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00404-012-2276-8