Abstract:
Objective: To investigate the action of caspase- 3, caspase- 9 and smac, regulatory factors of apoptosis, in serous ovarian neoplasms. Method: Immunohistochemical staining (S- P) and image analysis were used to assess the expression levels of caspase- 3, caspase- 9 and smac in 30 cases of serous cystadenoma, 10 cases of borderline serous cystadenoma, 25 cases of serous cystadenocarcinoma and 24 specimens from normal ovary. Results: The expression of caspase- 3, caspase- 9 and smac was 93%, 93% and 73.3%, respectively, in the 30 cases of serous ovarian cystadenoma; 70%, 80% and 80%, respectively, in the 10 cases of borderline serous cystadenoma; 96%, 96% and 84%, respectively,in the 25 cases of serous cystadenocarcinoma; and 83.3%, 80.9%, and 58.3%, respectively, in the 24 normal ovary specimens. Expression levels of caspase- 3, caspase- 9 and smac in serous ovarian neoplasms were higher than those found in normal ovary (P<0.05). Conclusion: Expression levels of apoptosis- regulatory factors caspase- 3, caspase- 9 and smac are increased in serous ovarian neoplasms, indicating that these genes may be new targets for tumor treatment.