UCH-L3 Expression in Epithelial Ovarian Cancer and Its Clinical Significance

  Objective  To study the expression of ubiquitin C-terminal hydrolase-L3 (UCH-L3) in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) tissues, and to analyze the relationship between UCH-L3 expression and the clinic pathological characteristics and prognosis of EOC patients.

  Methods  Immunohistochemical analysis was performed to evaluate UCH-L3 expression in different ovarian epithelial tissue specimens. The correlation between UCH-L3 expression and clinical pathologic parameters, prognosis and of EOC was statistically analyzed.

  Results  The expression level of UCH-L3 in EOC was higher than that in benign ovarian tumor and normal ovary (P < 0.05). The positive expression level of UCH-L3 in late FIGO group, high-level group, group with intraperitoneal metastasis were significantly higher than that in early FIGO group (P=0.006), low-level group (P=0.001), group without intraperitoneal metastasis (P=0.032). There was no significant difference in survival time between the high and low expression groups of UCH-L3.

  Conclusion  UCH-L3 may play a role in EOC pathogenesis and progression.