Mesonephric-like Adenocarcinoma of the Uterine Corpus: Clinicopathological and Prognostic Significance of L1 Cell Adhesion Molecule (L1CAM) Over-expression.

BACKGROUND/AIM: The expression of L1 cell adhesion molecule (L1CAM) in uterine mesonephric-like adenocarcinoma (MLA) remains understudied. Our aim was to explore the L1CAM expression in uterine MLA, delving into its clinicopathological implications and prognostic significance.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

We conducted L1CAM immunostaining in MLA, endometrioid carcinoma (EC), and serous carcinoma (SC), compared L1CAM expression across these histological types, and probed the relationship between L1CAM expression and the clinicopathological features and outcomes of patients with MLA.

RESULTS

High L1CAM expression was evident in 15 of 28 MLA cases (53.6%). This rate surpassed that of EC (7.5%) but was less than that of SC (78.9%). A high L1CAM expression correlated with initial distant metastasis, advanced initial stage, lung metastasis, and the recurrence of MLA. L1CAM-high MLA exhibited worse disease-free and overall survival than L1CAM-low MLA.

CONCLUSION

L1CAM over-expression was observed in more than half of the MLA cases, and was associated with aggressive clinicopathological traits and adverse outcomes in patients with uterine MLA.