Comparative study of erdometrial carciroma between Japanese women and American women

检测42例子宫内膜样癌、23例子宫内膜增生症和7例正常子宫内膜组织中P450芳香化酶和其他类固醇合成酶的表达。这些发现与临床病理结果相关联，以阐明原位雌激素产生在人类子宫内膜癌发生发展中的可能生物学意义。仅在血管壁和子宫肌层细胞中观察到弱的芳香化酶免疫反应。而在42例子宫内膜癌中，28例(66.7%)呈强的芳香酶间质免疫反应。然而，在正常或增生性子宫内膜标本中未见间质免疫反应。在肿瘤侵袭部位，癌间质细胞的免疫反应明显增强。这些芳香酶阳性的细胞免疫组织化学检测与雌激素生物合成有关的其他类固醇生成酶均为阴性。原位杂交研究显示间质中的Ce…中有芳香酶基因杂交信号更多的白血病，但在癌细胞中不是。芳香酶mRNA的分布与芳香酶的免疫组织化学定位有良好的相关性。芳香酶活性定量结果显示子宫内膜癌(22例)和正常子宫内膜(4例)的芳香化酶活性分别为8.75和2.75 pmol/小时/毫克和0.98和1.95微克/小时/毫克。雌激素受体阳性和阴性的子宫内膜癌中均有芳香酶活性。芳香酶与子宫内膜癌患者的绝经状态无关。这些结果表明，雌激素在子宫内膜癌中原位产生，而在良性子宫内膜病变中不产生。这种局部合成的雌激素可能以旁分泌的方式作用于癌细胞，促进肿瘤生长。因此，子宫内膜癌间质细胞芳香化酶表达的增加可能在人类子宫内膜样癌的发生发展中起重要作用。

The expression of P450 aromatase and other steroidogenic enzymes were evaluated in 42 endometrioid endometrial carcinomas, 23 endometrial hyperplasias, and 7 normal endometrial specimens. These findings were correlated with clinicopathological findings to elucidate the possible biological significance of in situ estrogen production in the development of human endometrial carcinoma. Only weak aromatase immunoreactivity was observed in vascular walls and myometrial cells. In contrast, strong aromatase stromal immunoreactivity was observed in 28 of 42(66.7%)endometrial carcinomas. However, no stromal immunoreactivity was seen in normal or hyperplastic endometrial specimens. Immunoreactivity in the carcinoma stromal cells was significantly increased at sites of invasion. These aromatasepositive cells were immunohistochemically negative for other steroidogenic enzymes involved in estrogen biosynthesis. In situ hybridization studies revealed aromatase mRNA hybridization signals in stromal ce … More lls but not in carcinoma cells. The distribution of aromatase mRNA correlated well with the immunohistochemical localization of aromatase anzyme. Quantitation of aromatase activity demonstrated 8.75 <minus-plus> 2.75 pmol/hour/mg of protein for endo-metrial carcinomas (22 specimens) and 0.98 <minus-plus> 1.95 pmol/hour/mg of protein for normal endometrial specimens(4 specimens). Aromatase activity was found in both estrogen receptor-positive and -negative endometrial carcinoma. Aromatase did not vary with respect to the menopausal status of patients with endometrial carcinoma. These results suggest that estrogen is produced in situ in endometrial carcinoma but not in benign endometrial lesions. Such locally synthesized estrogen may act on carcinoma cells in a paracrine fashion to promote tumor growth. Additional inverstigations are necessary, but increased aromatase expression in the stromal cells of endometrial carcinoma may therefore play an important role in the development of human endometrioid endometrial carcin Less