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Significance of the Galectin-8 Immunohistochemical Profile in Ovarian Cancer

Authors :
Elena-Roxana Avădănei
Irina-Draga Căruntu
Cornelia Amalinei
Ioana Păvăleanu
Simona-Eliza Giușcă
Andreea Rusu
Ludmila Lozneanu
Source :
Biomedicines, Vol 12, Iss 2, p 303 (2024)
Publication Year :
2024
Publisher :
MDPI AG, 2024.

Abstract

Ovarian cancer (OC) still registers a high prevalence in female gynecological pathology. Given the aggressiveness of the tumor and the lack of response to conventional therapies, a current research interest is the identification of new prognostic markers. Gal-8, a member of the galectin family of molecules, involved in tumorigenesis, disease progression, and metastasis, has been assigned as a valuable tumor prognostic factor, and its inhibition may open new perspectives in cancer therapeutic management. Few studies have been carried out so far to evaluate OCs’ galectin profiles. Our study aimed to characterize the Gal-8 profile in different types of ovarian neoplasia and to demonstrate its prognostic value. Our study group comprised 46 cases of OCs that were histologically and immunohistochemically investigated, introduced to Gal-8 immunoreactivity, qualitatively and semi-quantitatively evaluated, and correlated with clinicopathological characteristics. Gal-8 immunoexpression was identified in tumor epithelial cells, showing a dominant nuclear labeling, followed by cytoplasmic and mixed, nuclear, and cytoplasmic labeling. Significant differences between tumor histotypes were found in the statistical analysis between low and high Gal-8 immunoscore levels and clinicopathological features: HGSC (eng.= high-grade serous carcinoma) vs. LGSC (eng. = low-grade serous carcinoma), pathogenic types (type I vs. type II), and tumor grades. Our results reflect Gal-8 expression variability depending on the histological type and subtype, the progression stages, and the degree of differentiation of ovarian tumors, supporting its value as a prognostic factor. Our findings open perspectives for larger studies to validate our results, along with a potential Gal-8 transformation into a future therapeutic target.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
12020303 and 22279059
Volume :
12
Issue :
2
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
Biomedicines
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.4761a129ad846049752c6dccc9f6f84
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines12020303