Background: Malignant ovarian tumor is one of the leading causes of worldwide cancer death. It is usually characterized by insidious onset and late diagnosis because of the absence of symptoms, allowing ovarian cancer cases to progress rapidly and become unresectable. The tumor suppressor, p53, plays an important role in regulating cell cycles and apoptosis. p53 is regulated by several molecules, and it interacts with other apoptotic proteins.
Objectives: To compare the prognosis of ovarian serous carcinoma and evaluate the expression of DNA-PKcs, Akt3, GSK-3β, and p53 in cancerous cells.
Material and methods: DNA-PKcs, Akt3, GSK-3β, and p53 expression levels were scored using immunohistochemistry staining of tissue samples from 132 women with ovarian serous adenocarcinoma. Expression was confirmed by real-time RT-PCR. Analyses were stratified by age, tumor grades, cancer stages and serum CA 125 levels.
Results: Significant differences in DNA-PKcs, Akt3, and p53 expression were observed between participants with different stages and tumor grades of ovarian serous adenocarcinoma. DNA-PKcs and p53 expression increased along with increasing tumor grade. Meanwhile, DNA-PKcs, Akt3, and p53 expression increased along with increasing cancer stage, and with a decrease in 5-year overall survival rate.
Conclusions: This study shows that elevated expression of DNA-PKcs, Akt3, and p53 in ovarian serous adenocarcinoma tissues are an indication of more advanced disease and worse prognosis.
Keywords: Akt3; DNA-PKcs; GSK-3β; epithelial ovarian cancer.