[Expression of podoplanin in ovarian clear cell carcinoma].

INTRODUCTION Podoplanin is a transmembrane glycoprotein expressed in endothelial lymphatic cells. It was proven to be a predictive marker in a variety of cancers e.g. mesothelioma and head and neck squamous-cell carcinoma. Ovarian clear cell carcinoma (OCCC) is a rare and unique histopathologic subtype of epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). The molecular basis of that phenomenon remains unknown. OBJECTIVES The aim of our study was to assess podoplanin expression on the protein level in OCCC. MATERIAL AND METHODS Immunohistochemistry was performed on paraffin-embedded tissues from 19 patients with diagnosed OCCC. RESULTS Podoplanin expression was present (moderate or strong) in 52% of OCCC cases (10/19). Nine of eleven (81.2%) postmenopausal and one of eight (12.5%) premenopausal women were podoplanin positive. No differences in podoplanin expression were found in relation to clinical features of the tumor CONCLUSION The incidence of podoplanin expression is higher in ovarian clear cell adenocarcinoma in postmenopausal patients.