Maspin Expression in Adenocarcinoma of the Ampulla of Vater: Relation with Clinicopathological Parameters and Apoptosis

Aim: Maspin is a unique serine proteinase inhibitor which has tumor suppressor activity. The aim of the present study was to investigate the role of maspin in ampullary adenocarcinomas, its correlation with apoptosis and its value as a prognostic marker. Patients and Methods: Twenty-three cases of ampulla of Vater adenocarcinoma were collected from archival material. For each sample, maspin, M30, p53 and Mib1 immunohistochemical reactivity were evaluated and results compared with clinicopathological parameters. Results: A statistical relation was found between nuclear maspin and M30 (Spearman's ϱ=0.46, p=0.02), and p53 (Kruskal-Wallis=0.03); a trend was found between nuclear maspin and pT (Kruskal-Wallis=0.09), and pM (Mann-Whitney=0.08) and pN status (Fisher's mid-point test: p=0.070). Conclusion: The present study evaluated the role of maspin in ampullary adenocarcinomas and for the first time demonstrated its association with apoptosis, tumor growth and metastasis.