STUDY OF IMMUNOHISTOCHEMICAL EXPRESSION OF BETA-CATENIN IN ENDOMETRIAL BIOPSY SPECIMENS AMONG PATIENTS OF ABNORMAL UTERINE BLEEDING IN A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL

Abstract

Context The primary role of endometrial sampling in patients with AUB is to determine whether carcinoma or premalignant lesions are present by evaluating histologically. β-catenin has been one among the important markers studied to differentiate between benign EH and premalignant EIN. 1) To analyse the expression of Aims: β-catenin in various endometrial lesions 2) To dene the diagnostic accuracy of β-catenin in differentiating benign EH from premalignant EAH/EIN. Settings and Design: Prospective study conducted at Department of Pathology in a tertiary care hospital over a period of two years. Methods and Materials: β-catenin immunoexpressions were evaluated using immunohistochemical staining in 150 histopathologically diagnosed cases of endometrial lesions from AUB cases. Statistical analysis used: The statistical analysis was done using Pearson's Chi-squared test. Results: This study included Proliferative endometrium (22 cases), Benign endometrial hyperplasia (57 cases), Endometrial atypical hyperplasia/ Endometrioid intraepithelial neoplasia (56 cases) and Endometrioid carcinoma (15 cases). 50% cases of PE showed β-catenin membranous expression, 56% cases of BEH showed cytoplasmic expression, 27% cases of EAH/EIN and 60% of EMC showed nuclear expression. Statistically signicant association was seen between the location of β-catenin expression and different endometrial lesions (p<0.001). Diagnostic accuracy in differentiating benign EH from premalignant EAH/EIN was high with considering only nuclear β-catenin as aberrant expression and was low by considering cytoplasmic and /or nuclear βcatenin as aberrant expression.Conclusion Nuclear expression of β-catenin strongly correlates with increasing grades of endometrial pathology, namely endometrial atypical hyperplasia/ endometrioid intraepithelial neoplasia and endometrioid carcinoma. Also nuclear expression of β-catenin appears as a little sensitive, but perfectly specic marker of endometrial precancer (EAH/EIN).