Abstract
Growth factor receptor-bound protein-2 (Grb2) can act as the scaffold protein recruiting other molecules to the stimulated receptors. Grb2-associated binding protein 1 (Gab1) is involved in cell proliferation, and its expression may enhance the carcinogenesis and cancer progression. However, the function of Gab1 remains to be investigated. Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is the most lethal malignancy in the female reproductive system with increasing incidence and unsatisfied overall survival (OS). We investigated the expression of Gab1 in EOC tissues and the correlations between Gab1 expression and the clinicopathological characteristics of patients with EOC using Spearman rank test. The staining results were evaluated based on both the percentage of Gab1-positive tumor cells and the staining intensity for Gab1 expression. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and Cox proportional hazards analysis were used to compare the postoperative OS between EOC patients with high Gab1 expression and those with low Gab1 expression. The high expression of Gab1 was positively correlated with advanced FIGO stage and lymph node metastasis of EOC. Univariate analysis showed that advanced FIGO stage, pathological grade, lymph node metastasis or Gab1 expression were associated with poor OS. Moreover, multivariate analysis revealed that Gab1 expression could be an independent prognostic factor for the poor OS of EOC patients (P = 0.042). We propose that Gab1 expression is correlated with poor prognosis of EOC patients and may act as an independent prognostic indicator.