The utilization of immunohistochemical prognostic factor in endometrial adenocarcinoma: is it cost effective?

This study investigated the relation between immunohistochemical prognostic factors and clinical stage and histopathological grade in endometrial aden ocarcinoma. Twenty-seven patients with a mean age of 61 (38-74), who underwent radical surgery due to endometrial adenocarcinoma in our hospital between 1983-1998 , were re-evaluated. For clinical staging FIGO criteria were used. Histopat hological differentiation of the tumor was graded as good (grade 1), modera te (grade 2), and poor (grade 3). Estrogen and progesterone receptors, c-er b B2, UEA 1, Ki-67, PCNA and p 53 were studied as immunohistochemical progn ostic factors. There were no patients in stages IA and IIIB. Among the prognostic factors, PCNA was the most significantly stained marker, followed by c-erb B2, estr ogen and progesterone receptors, regardless of the clinical stage and histo pathological grade of the tumor. The least positivity was achieved with Ki- 67. There was no significant difference when each prognostic factor was ana lysed with respect to clinical stage and histopathological grade. In our study no significant relation was found between the prognostic facto rs and the clinical stage and histopathological differentiation of the tumo r. Therefore the cost effectiveness of the utilization of these factors sho uld be reconsidered.