ABSTRACT
Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the significance and correlation of immunohistochemical staining of lumican, an extracellular matrix proteoglycan, with the clinicopathological parameters in endometrial intraepithelial neoplasia (EIN) and endometrioid-type endometrial cancer (ETEC). Material and Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out together in the obstetrics & gynecology and pathology departments of a tertiary care center. A total of 46 patients with EIN (n=19; 41.3%) and ETEC (n=27; 58.7%) were recruited for the study. Sections prepared from hysterectomy specimens of the patients were immunohistochemically processed and examined for immunohistochemical staining of lumican. The positive association between immunohistochemical staining of lumican and its relationship with clinicopathological variables were then investigated. Results: Lumican staining was more prominent in specimens obtained from ETEC patients as compared to that obtained from patients with EIN (p>0.01). The patients in the ETEC group were significantly elder than those in the EIN group (p=0.01). No statistically significant association was found between the lumican positivity and the histopathological parameters including grade; stage; squamous differentiation; lymph node metastases; myometrial, cervical, adnexial or omental invasion; and pelvic or paraaortic lymph node involvement. Conclusion: The study concluded that elucidation of the molecular basis underlying endometrial cancer may allow the recognition of novel molecular targets for diagnostic and therapeutic strategies of cancers of the endometrium. However, the importance of immunohistochemical staining and clinicopathological significance of lumican in endometrial cancer needs to be further studied by multicentric studies in larger numbers.