Background
Ovarian cancer is usually diagnosed at an advanced stage due to its early asymptomatic course and late-stage non-specific symptoms. This highlights the importance of researching the molecular mechanisms involved in ovarian carcinogenesis as well as the discovery of novel prognostic markers that could help improve the survival outcome of patients. The
Conclusions
These findings suggest that the intracellular synthesis of testosterone acting through its receptor can promote tumor growth and progression. Moreover, the simultaneous expression of STS and AR constitutes an independent predictor of poor prognosis in epithelial ovarian tumors.
Results
Immunoreactivity for STS was detected in 65% of the tumors and no association was observed with histological subtypes and clinical stages of the tumor. The STS expression in the tumors exhibiting immunoreactive AR resulted in a reduced survival (log-rank test, p = 0.032) and a risk factor in univariate and multivariate analysis, HR = 3.46, CI95% 1.00-11.92, p = 0.049 and HR = 5.92, CI95% 1.34-26.09, p = 0.019, respectively. Conclusions: These findings suggest that the intracellular synthesis of testosterone acting through its receptor can promote tumor growth and progression. Moreover, the simultaneous expression of STS and AR constitutes an independent predictor of poor prognosis in epithelial ovarian tumors.