KEY TAKEAWAYS
- The study aimed to investigate the expression patterns of ARID1A and BRG1 in endometrioid adenocarcinomas of the uterus to assess their potential as prognostic biomarkers for patients with EC.
- Researchers noticed ARID1A expression loss can be used as a potential biomarker for guiding post-operative therapy in EC; further investigation is ongoing.
Endometrial cancer (EC) is the predominant malignancy among gynecologic cancers and ranks 4th among all types of cancer. Recent attention has been directed towards identifying novel prognostic biomarkers. Notably, subunits of the SWI/SNF protein complex, such as ARID1A and BRG1, have emerged as potential players in EC development.
Emmanuel N. Kontomanolis and the team aimed to assess the expression patterns of ARID1A and BRG1 in a series of endometrioid adenocarcinomas of the uterus through immunohistochemical analysis.
They performed an inclusive analysis involving 33 individuals diagnosed with stage I endometrioid EC who underwent a radical hysterectomy. The histological material was subsequently examined to assess the cytoplasmic and nuclear expression of the proteins.
ARID1A exhibited expression in the cytoplasm and nucleus of cancer cells, whereas BRG1 was mainly expressed in the nuclei. ARID1A showed a notable decrease in expression in grade 3 histology, with no significant correlation with the depth of myometrial invasion. The reduced expression was highly related to tumor expansion into the endocervix.
The findings demonstrated a total absence of ARID1A expression in 27% of endometrioid carcinomas, with a significant reduction in expression in an additional 51% of cancer cells. These findings align with the most recent published data. In contrast, in the current study, BRG1 was rarely down-regulated and was extensively expressed in most endometrioid carcinomas, preventing the possibility of statistical analysis.
The study concluded that ARID1A expression loss holds promise as a biomarker for guiding post-operative therapy in EC. However, further investigation is warranted, particularly in early-stage cases, to fully understand its prognostic implications.
The study received no funds.
Source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38688602/
Kontomanolis EN, Symeonidis P, Nikolettos K, et al. (2024). “ARID1 and BRG1 Expression in Endometrial Cancer.” In Vivo. 2024 May-Jun;38(3):1260-1265. doi: 10.21873/invivo.13563. PMID: 38688602.
