The gene copy number of c-MET has a significant impact on progression-free survival in Korean patients with ovarian carcinoma

Summary The aim of this study was to compare the protein overexpression and gene copy number (GCN) of c-MET in ovarian carcinoma and to assess their prognostic roles in Korean women. MET protein expression and GCN status were determined using immunohistochemistry (IHC) and silver in situ hybridization (SISH), respectively, in 105 ovarian carcinomas comprising 63 serous, 12 mucinous, 20 clear cell, and 10 endometrioid carcinomas. All cases had been treated and followed up at a single institute in Seoul, Korea. MET protein overexpression was observed in 35 of 105 (33.3%) ovarian carcinomas, with IHC 2+ in 27 and IHC 3+ in 8. The overexpression rates of serous, mucinous, clear cell, and endometrioid carcinomas were 14.3%, 83.3%, 65.0%, and 30.0%, respectively. MET protein overexpression was significant in mucinous carcinoma ( P < 0.001) and was correlated with better progression-free survival (PFS) ( P = 0.028). High polysomy (HP) of chromosome 7 and gene amplification (GA) were found in 10 (9.5%) and 2 (1.9%) of the 105 ovarian carcinomas, respectively. Eleven of 12 cases were high-grade serous carcinomas. The remaining case was clear cell carcinoma. HP and GA were associated with a poor PFS ( P = 0.001). There was no significant correlation between a high level of protein expression and increased GCN of MET (r = − 0.127; P = 0.197). In Korean women, HP and GA of MET were significantly correlated with a poor PFS. MET GCN may serve as a biomarker for poor prognosis in patients with ovarian carcinoma.