Abstract
Background Vimentin, a cytoplasmic intermediate filament protein, has been recently identified to be a prognostic biomarker in some cancers. However, the function of vimentin in endometrial carcinoma (EC) remains unclear. Our study aimed at evaluating vimentin expression in EC and preliminarily exploring the role of vimentin in EC progression. Methods In total, 341 EC patients who underwent surgical follow-up were enrolled in the retrospective study. Vimentin expression levels in EC tissues were analyzed using immunohistochemistry. Furthermore, the vimentin (VIM) gene expression levels in 547 samples in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) were analyzed. To examine the prognostic value of vimentin in EC, Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was performed, and a Cox model was established. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was also conducted using the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) database to explore the role of vimentin in EC progression. Results Negative vimentin expression in EC correlated significantly with lymph node metastasis, deep myometrium invasion (MI), lymph vascular space invasion (LVSI), advanced Federation International of Gynecology and Obstetrics Association (FIGO) stages (III and IV), and high tumor grade. Vimentin negativity was more common in type 2 EC than that in type 1 EC, and vimentin-negative patients had poorer overall survival compared with vimentin-positive patients. The results of GSEA suggested that vimentin may interact with classical pathways in EC. Conclusions Negative vimentin expression correlates with tumor metastasis and worse overall survival in EC, suggesting that it may be an excellent prognostic biomarker for this disease. The mechanism by which vimentin contributes to EC progression needs to be explored in the future.
Highlights
Endometrial carcinoma appears to be increasing in incidence and mortality
There was no significant difference between the vimentin-negative and vimentinpositive groups in terms of the frequency of gestation, frequency of parity, age, body mass index (BMI), menopausal status, diabetes, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, or hypertriglyceridemia
As early as 1986, Dabbs et al described the distribution and role of vimentin in endometrial cancer and cervical adenocarcinoma [20]. They found that coexpression of vimentin and cytokeratin was universally present in normal proliferative endometrial grands, with marked decrease or absence of vimentin staining in secretory phase patterns, and the tumors with clear cell areas and mucinous areas were negative for vimentin but positive for cytokeratin
Summary
Endometrial carcinoma appears to be increasing in incidence and mortality. It is the most frequent gynecologic malignancy worldwide [1]. Our study aimed at evaluating vimentin expression in EC and preliminarily exploring the role of vimentin in EC progression. The vimentin (VIM) gene expression levels in 547 samples in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) were analyzed. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was conducted using the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) database to explore the role of vimentin in EC progression. Negative vimentin expression in EC correlated significantly with lymph node metastasis, deep myometrium invasion (MI), lymph vascular space invasion (LVSI), advanced Federation International of Gynecology and Obstetrics Association (FIGO) stages (III and IV), and high tumor grade. Negative vimentin expression correlates with tumor metastasis and worse overall survival in EC, suggesting that it may be an excellent prognostic biomarker for this disease. The mechanism by which vimentin contributes to EC progression needs to be explored in the future
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
