Expression of FBXW7 in endometrial cancer negatively correlates with mTORC1 activity and tumor progression

Purpose of Investigation: The authors aimed to investigate the relationship between FBXW7 expression and mTORC1 activity in endometrial cancer (EC) patients and determined their relation to tumor differentiation, invasion, nodal metastasis, and the underlying mechanism. Materials and Methods: The expression of FBXW7 and phospho-S6 (S235/S236) was examined by immunohistochemistry in 1.5 mm tumor cores from 97 EC patients and five adjacent normal endometrial tissue samples using tissue microarray technology. Results: The positive expression rate of phospho-S6 was significantly higher in EC than in control tissues. Age was highly correlated with the expression of phospho-S6. However, FBXW7 was expressed at higher levels in normal tissues than in tumor samples, and its expression correlated with low tumor histological grade. Importantly, the expression of P-S6 (S235/236) in EC had a significant negative correlation with FBXW7. Conclusion: FBXW7 negatively correlates with mTORC1 activity and tumor progression in EC. FBXW7 is a potential prognostic marker and a target for the treatment of EC.

Endometrial cancer; mTOR; FBXW7; Tissue microarray; Immunohistochemistry.

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