We describe HER-2/neu overexpression and her-2/neu oncogene amplification in a case of uterine carcinosarcoma occurring in a 46-year-old women who had undergone mastectomy and a 2-year postoperative treatment with tamoxifen for invasive breast cancer.
The current results suggest absence of ERBB-2 overexpression in uterine leiomyosarcoma, uterine adenosarcoma, and endometrial stromal sarcoma, whereas the ERBB-2 gene might have a biologic role in uterine carcinosarcoma and undifferentiated uterine sarcomas.
Demonstration of HER-2/neu overexpression and amplification in uterine carcinosarcoma may represent the first rationale step for further investigations.
In addition to TP53, other recurrently mutated genes harboring putative driver or loss-of-function mutations included PTEN, FBXW7, FGFR2, KRAS, PIK3CA and CTNNB1, genes known to be involved in UCS.
The expression of AKT, epithelial growth factor receptor, C-Kit, and C-ErbB-2 were studied by immunohistochemistry and exons 9 and 20 of PIK3CA gene were sequences in a cohort of 37 UCS, including 23 early-stage (I and II) and 14 late-stage (III and IV) tumors.
Genomic analysis showed that most tumors spontaneously acquired <i>Trp53</i> mutations, pointing to a triad of pathways (p53, PI3K, and Fbxw7) as the critical combination underpinning uterine carcinosarcoma, and to Fbxw7 as a key driver of this enigmatic endometrial cancer type.
In addition to TP53, other recurrently mutated genes harboring putative driver or loss-of-function mutations included PTEN, FBXW7, FGFR2, KRAS, PIK3CA and CTNNB1, genes known to be involved in UCS.
UBB is repressed in approximately 30% of high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC) patients and is a recurrent lesion in uterine carcinosarcoma and endometrial carcinoma.
High expression of both phospho-aurora kinase A and aurora kinase B was a prognostic factor for progression-free survival in uterine carcinosarcoma (P=0.049).
To evaluate the prognostic value of metabolic parameters measured by preoperative ¹⁸F-fluorodeoxyglucose (¹⁸F-FDG) positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) in patients with uterine carcinosarcoma (UCS).
High nestin, observed in 19% of cases, was more common in advanced vs. early stage disease, type II cancers or uterine carcinosarcoma vs. type I cancers, grade 3 disease, positive lymphovascular space invasion (LVSI) and tumors >6cm (p<0.05).
TGF-beta signaling is activated in CS and chromosomal gains at 19q13, which includes the TGFB1 locus, suggest that this may contribute to high expression of TGF-beta and thereby EMT phenotype of CS.