PROGNOSTIC VALUE OF CD44 SPLICE VARIANT EXPRESSION IN OVARIAN-CANCER

In 44 ovarian cancers, CD44 variant (CD44v) expression was investigate d immunohistochemically using a variant-specific polyclonal antibody. Patients with CD44v-positive carcinomas had a significantly shorter di sease-free survival than patients with CD44v-negative tumors. Overall survival was also significantly reduced for stages III and IV of the I nternational Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics. Furthermore, a h ighly significant inverse correlation was observed between CD44v expre ssion and preoperative platelet count. Urinary neopterin concentration , a marker of cell-mediated immunostimulation, did not differ between CD44v-positive and -negative ovarian cancer patients. Moreover, in sev en ovarian carcinoma cell lines, modulation of CD44v expression was an alyzed by living cell radioimmunoassay. Interferon-alpha, interferon-g amma, tumor necrosis factor, transforming growth factor-beta, all-tran s retinoic acid and cisplatin did not affect CD44v expression.