Analysis of the Histopathological Characteristics and Expression of RIPK1 and NF- κB in Cervical Cancer in Kumasi, Ghana.

Background: Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer in Kumasi, Ghana. The fact that survival rates are low, despite the advances made in clinical management necessitates exploration of alternatives to improve survival.

Aim: This study reviews the histopathological and molecular characteristics of cervical cancer in relation to Receptor Interacting Protein Kinase 1 (RIPK1) and Nuclear Factor kappa B (NF-κB), which are involved in the regulation of inflammation, cell death and cell survival.

Materials and methods: The study reviewed 135 consecutive cases diagnosed from January 2015 to December 2016 in our centre. Clinicodemographic data were abstracted and suitable formalin fixed paraffin embedded (FFPE) tissue blocks were selected for tissue microarray construction and subsequent immunohistochemical assessment of RIPK1 and NF-κB expression. A statistical analysis of the data was done using SPSS version 26.

Results: The mean age of the cases was 58.93 years with a standard deviation of 17.88. The histological type of most (96.3%) of the cases was the Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). Majority (49.63%) of the cases were of histological grade 3, followed by grade 2 with 33.32% and grade 1 with 17.04% of cases. Both RIPK1 and NF-κB were highly expressed (56.6% and 69.3%, respectively) among the case. RIPK1 expression was significantly associated with NF-κB expression (P = 0.001).

Conclusion: The significant co-expression of RIPK1 and NF-κB in the high-grade carcinomas suggest they are active in signalling pathways that supress apoptosis and enhance survival and/or proliferation.