Decoding β-catenin expression patterns in ovarian serous carcinoma with clinicopathological implications: insights from National Cancer Institute.

Abstract

Aim: This study aimed to examine the immunohistochemical expression of β-catenin in serous ovarian carcinoma and to investigate its relationship with clinicopathological features and disease outcomes.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 67 cases of serous ovarian carcinoma diagnosed at the Pathology Department of the Egyptian National Cancer Institute, Cairo University, between January 1, 2015, and December 31, 2017.

Results: The age of the patients ranged from 26 to 76 years. Aberrant β-catenin expression was defined by the presence of cytoplasmic staining with or without membranous staining in at least 10% of tumor cells. Of the cases analyzed, thirty exhibited cytoplasmic staining, 18 demonstrated preserved expression on the cell membrane, 15 showed combined cytoplasmic and membranous staining, while four cases were entirely negative. Significant correlations were observed between β-catenin positivity and both tumor grade and p53 expression, with p values of 0.004 for each correlation.

Conclusions: Positive β-catenin expression significantly correlated with tumor grade in serous ovarian carcinoma. Most low-grade serous carcinoma cases exhibited membranous β-catenin expression, whereas high-grade serous carcinoma cases predominantly displayed cytoplasmic staining. Therapeutic strategies aimed at inhibiting β-catenin signaling could provide a novel approach to improving outcomes for patients with high-grade ovarian cancer.