Immunohistochemical Analysis of 1.25-Dihydroxyvitamin D3 Receptor Expression in Endometrial Cancer

Objective:This study aimed to immunohistochemically investigate the expression of 1.25-dihydroxyvitamin-D3-receptors (VDR) in benign and malignant lesions of the endometrial tissue.Method:The cases were divided into two groups as benign (n=10) and endometrioid adenocarcinoma (n=17) according to their endometrial pathology results. The expression of VDR was examined by immunohistochemical method in endometrial tissues of participants (n=27). Then, VDR expression levels were compared between the groups. The intensity of expression, extent of staining and overall scores were determined for the semi-quantitative evaluation of VDR expression. Demographic data of the patients were also recorded.Results:There was no significant difference between the groups in terms of demographic data (p>0.05) except age (p<0.001). VDR expression level in the malignant group was significantly higher than in the benign group (p<0.001). It was observed that when the tumor grade increased, the expression level of VDR also increased significantly (r=0.888, p<0.001). Similarly, VDR expression increased significantly as the stage progressed (r=0.639, p=0.006) but there was no statistically significant correlation between tumor size (p=0.645), estrogen receptor positivity, PR positivity and presence of lymphovascular invasion on VDR expression (p>0.05).Conclusion:The expression of VDR was increased in endometrial cancer when compared to normal endometrial tissue. As the tumor behavior became aggressive, VDR expression also increased. As a result, increased VDR level may be associated with endometrial cancer development and stage of disease.