Expression of FOXP1 in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) and its correlation with chemotherapy resistance and prognosis

We aimed to investigate the expression of FOXP1 in ovarian tumors and correlate it with clinicopathological parameters, chemotherapy resistance, and prognosis. FOXP1 messenger RNA (mRNA) expression was examined in fresh ovarian cancer tissues and normal ovarian tissues, and FOXP1 protein expression was determined in a total of 201 ovarian tissue samples, including 152 cases of primary epithelial ovarian cancer, 26 borderline ovarian tumors, 13 benign ovarian tumors, and 10 normal ovarian tissues. Complete chemotherapy and follow-up data were available in 92 of the 152 epithelial ovarian cancer patients. The relationship between FOXP1 protein expression and ovarian cancer pathological characteristics, chemotherapy resistance, and survival time was analyzed. FOXP1 mRNA expression was downregulated in ovarian cancer tissues compared with that in normal ovarian tissues. Decreased nuclear and increased cytoplasmic FOXP1 protein expression was correlated with increasing tumor grade. Nuclear FOXP1 expression was an independent risk factor associated with chemotherapy resistance and the prognosis of patients with ovarian cancer. FOXP1 expression is closely related to the degree of malignancy of epithelial ovarian cancer and may be a reliable index of the chemoresistance and prognosis of ovarian cancer.