Conclusions
FKBPL protein expression demonstrated a significant decrease in FKBPL in EEC in comparison to BEH tissue, with a high predictive value for malignancy. FKBPL might be emerging as a significant protein with antiangiogenic and antineoplastic effects, showing great promise for the diagnostic and therapeutic applications of its therapeutic derivatives in gynecological oncology.
Methods
Specimens from 89 patients with EEC and 40 patients with BEH, as well as histological, clinical, and demographic data, were obtained from the Clinical Hospital Centre Zemun, Belgrade, Serbia over a 10-year period (2010−2020). Immunohistochemical staining of the tissue was performed for FKBPL, VEGF-A, and ERα. Slides were analyzed blind by two pathologists, who measured the intensity of FKBPL and VEGF-A expression and used the Allred score to determine the level of ERα expression.
Results
Immunohistochemical analysis showed moderate to high intensity of FKBPL expression in 97.5% (n = 39) of samples of BEH, and low or no expression in 93.3% (n = 83) of cases of EEC. FKBPL staining showed a high positive predictive value (98.8%) and a high negative predictive value for malignant diagnosis (86.7%). The difference in FKBPL expression between EEC and BEH was statistically significant (p < 0.001), showing a decrease in intensity and loss of expression in malignant tissues of the endometrium. FKBPL expression was positively correlated with ERα expression (intensity, percentage and high Allred score values) and negatively correlated with the expression of VEGF-A (p < 0.05 for all). Conclusions: FKBPL protein expression demonstrated a significant decrease in FKBPL in EEC in comparison to BEH tissue, with a high predictive value for malignancy. FKBPL might be emerging as a significant protein with antiangiogenic and antineoplastic effects, showing great promise for the diagnostic and therapeutic applications of its therapeutic derivatives in gynecological oncology.