Clinicopathological significance of expression of IGF-1R in uveal melanoma and its association with expression of p-AKT Thr308

Abstract

To investigate the clinicopathological significance of expression of insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor (IGF-1R) and its association with the expression of p-AKT Thr308 in uveal melanoma. Experimental study. Twenty-four patients with uveal melanoma were included from January 2000 to December 2008. The levels of IGF-1R and p-AKT Thr308 were detected by immunohistochemical methods, and their association with clinicopathological parameters including localization of tumor, tumor size, largest tumor diameters, cell type, necrosis, degree of pigmentation, lymphocyte infiltration, mitosis rate, scleral invasion and liver metastasis were statistically analyzed. The relationship of expression of IGF-1R with clinicopathological parameters or with the expression of p-AKT Thr308 was analyzed by chi-square test. The positive rate of expression of IGF-1R in 24 cases of uveal melanoma was 75%. The expression of IGF-1R were associated with the largest tumor diameters, degree of pigmentation, liver metastasis and lymphocyte infiltration (χ(2) = 15.569, P = 0.016; χ(2) = 11.348, P = 0.010; χ(2) = 8.738, P = 0.033; χ(2) = 8.362, P = 0.039). The positive rate of expression of p-AKT Thr308 was 58%. The expression of IGF-1R and p-AKT Thr308 was positively correlated (χ(2) = 17.108, P = 0.009). IGF-1R plays a role in the development of uveal melanoma which may be induced by activation in PI3K/AKT pathway.