Expression of nestin in ovarian serous cancer and its clinicopathologic significance.

OBJECTIVE Nestin has been found to be overexpressed in several human malignancies. The primary goal of this research was to investigate whether nestin expression correlates with the occurrence and development of ovarian cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS Expression of nestin was evaluated by immunohistochemistry in 315 cases of various epithelial ovarian lesions as well as 52 cases of normal ovarian epithelia. The association between nestin expression and various clinical pathological parameters was analysed. RESULTS Immunohistochemical results showed that the positive correlation of nestin expression gradually increased from benign and borderline to malignant ovarian tumours. Nestin overexpression was associated with more advanced International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics stage and higher histological grade in serous adenocarcinoma. Nestin expression was significantly associated with chemoresistance. However, there was no significant correlation between nestin expression and the age and level of CA125 in patients. CONCLUSIONS We propose that nestin expression might contribute to the initiation, promotion, and progression of serous ovarian carcinoma; nestin expression is associated with poor chemoresponse. It could be a potential therapeutic target in patients with epithelial ovarian carcinoma.