The expression and significance of osteopontin and B7H4 in epithelial ovarian neoplasm

Malignant ovarian tumors are one of the three types of female malignant tumors, of which epithelial ovarian cancer is the most common one, accounting for 80%­90% of ovarian cancer. Because the ovaries are located deep within the pelvic cavity, early diagnosis of ovarian cancer is difficult. As a result, between about 70%­80% of patients with ovarian cancer are already at an advanced stage at their first visit. Ovarian cancer is also prone to spread in the pelvic cavity or the abdomen as well as metastasize to the lymph nodes. Therefore, the mortality rate of ovarian cancer is the highest in tumors of the female reproductive system. Ovarian carcinogenesis involves expression disorders of oncogenes and tumor­suppressor genes, abnormal regulation of apoptosis, cell motility and migration, and so on. However, its mechanisms are not yet fully elucidated. Osteopontin (OPN), a multifunctionally secreted phosphorylated glycoprotein that can promote cell adhesion and migration, is believed to be a secreted protein associated with malignant transformation and correlated with the carcinogenesis, development, metastasis, and prognosis of many tumors. B7­H4, a newly discovered member of the B7 family, which can negatively regulate T­cell immune response through the inhibition of T­cell proliferation, cytokine production, and cell­cycle progression, expresses at high levels in a variety of tumor tissues. The present study detected the expression of OPN and B7­H4 in 95 normal ovarian tissues, resected specimens of epithelial neoplasm, and analyzed the relationship between them and the clinical and pathologic features.