Yaginuma Y, Yamashita K
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Asahikawa Medical College.
Nihon Sanka Fujinka Gakkai Zasshi. 1989 Sep;41(9):1409-16.
In the present study, monoclonal antibody rp-28 directed against the ras gene product p21 was used to evaluate ras p21 expression in malignant and benign ovarian tissues. Some ovarian carcinomas (serous cystadenocarcinoma, mucinous cystadenocarcinoma, undifferentiated carcinoma and clear cell carcinoma) demonstrated intense staining of ras p21. In mucinous tumors, both the frequency of ras p21 positive staining and the staining intensity gradually increased with the degree of malignancy. There was no difference in ras p21 expression according to the clinical stages of ovarian carcinomas. In the metastatic lesions, ras p21 staining was rather weaker than in the primary lesions. It is therefore possible that intense staining of ras p21 is associated with the degree of malignancy in some types of ovarian tumors, and that the expression of ras oncogene product p21 is not enhanced with progression and metastasis in such types of ovarian carcinoma. These results suggest that ras oncogene plays an important role in the carcinogenesis of some types of epithelial ovarian tumors.