Prognostic implications of forkhead box protein O1 (FOXO1) and paired box 3 (PAX3) in epithelial ovarian cancer

Abstract Background Transcription factors forkhead box protein O1 (FOXO1) and paired box 3 (PAX3) have been reported to play important roles in various cancers. However, their role in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) has not been elucidated yet. Therefore, we evaluated the expression and clinical significance of FOXO1 and PAX3 in EOC. Methods Immunohistochemical analyses of FOXO1 and PAX3 in 212 EOCs, 57 borderline ovarian tumors, 153 benign epithelial ovarian tumors, and 79 nonadjacent normal epithelial tissues were performed using tissue microarray. Various clinicopathological variables, including the survival of EOC patients, were compared. In addition, the effect of FOXO1 on cell growth was assessed in EOC cell lines. Results FOXO1 and PAX3 protein expression levels were significantly higher in EOC tissues than in nonadjacent normal epithelial tissues, benign tissues, and borderline tumors (all p