Firat Hormones Research Group, Department of Medical Biochemistry and Clinical Biochemistry, Firat University Hospital, Elazig, Turkey.
Gynecol Endocrinol. 2011 Mar;27(3):199-204. doi: 10.3109/09513590.2010.488772. Epub 2010 Aug 16.
Endometrium carcinoma ranks fourth among female carcinomas. Therefore, early diagnosis of endometrium pre-malignant lesions is emphasised, and attempts are made to identify the risk factors. Since hyperplasias, particularly those with atypia, are held responsible for the development of the most common endometrium carcinomas, it is important to definitely distinguish between well-differentiated carcinomas and hyperplasia with atypia. In the present study, we aimed to explore whether ghrelin expression had a role in distinguishing between benign, pre-malignant and malignant lesions of endometrium.
Tissue ghrelin expressions of a total of 60 cases, who were diagnosed in the Pathology Department Laboratory of Firat University Medical School, and of whom 10 were in the proliferation phase, 10 had simple hyperplasia without atypia, 10 had simple hyperplasia with atypia, 10 had complex hyperplasia without atypia, 10 had complex hyperplasia with atypia and 10 had endometrioid carcinoma cases, were examined using immunohistochemical method. Additionally, tissue samples were homogenised to analyse tissue ghrelin levels in the supernatants according to RIA method. Samples from the parotid glands were used as positive control for ghrelin. Cells that exhibited cytoplasmic staining with ghrelin antibody were evaluated as positive.
Immunohistochemical examination showed that ghrelin expression increased markedly in the proliferation phase, relative to hyperplasias and carcinoma. These results were parallel to ghrelin levels in tissue supernatants. Immunohistochemical and RIA analysis results indicate that ghrelin expression either markedly decreases or is entirely depleted in endometrial carcinomas.
Therefore, we think that ghrelin expression can be useful in differentiating not only endometrium carcinomas from benign lesions but also complex hyperplasias with atypia, which pose diagnostic difficulties.
子宫内膜癌在女性癌症中排名第四。因此，强调了对子宫内膜癌前病变的早期诊断，并尝试确定其危险因素。由于增生症，特别是具有非典型性的增生症，被认为是最常见的子宫内膜癌的发展原因，因此重要的是要明确区分分化良好的癌和具有非典型性的增生症。在本研究中，我们旨在探讨ghrelin 的表达是否在区分良性、癌前病变和恶性子宫内膜病变方面起作用。
使用免疫组织化学方法检查了共 60 例病例的组织 ghrelin 表达，这些病例均在费拉特大学医学院病理学系实验室诊断，其中 10 例处于增殖期，10 例单纯增生无非典型性，10 例单纯增生伴非典型性，10 例复杂增生无非典型性，10 例复杂增生伴非典型性，10 例子宫内膜样癌病例。此外，根据 RIA 方法将组织匀浆以分析上清液中的组织 ghrelin 水平。腮腺组织样本被用作 ghrelin 的阳性对照。具有 ghrelin 抗体细胞质染色的细胞被评估为阳性。
免疫组织化学检查显示，与增生症和癌相比，ghrelin 在增殖期的表达明显增加。这些结果与组织上清液中的 ghrelin 水平平行。免疫组织化学和 RIA 分析结果表明，ghrelin 在子宫内膜癌中的表达明显减少或完全耗尽。
因此，我们认为 ghrelin 的表达不仅可以帮助区分子宫内膜癌与良性病变，而且可以帮助区分具有诊断困难的复杂增生伴非典型性。
