Determination of Cathepsin B Expression May Offer Additional Prognostic Information for Ovarian Cancer Patients

The lysosomal cysteine proteinase cathepsin B has been implicated in the progression of various human tumors including ovarian cancer. Included in this study were 63 patients with epithelial ovarian carcinoma. Followup information (median followup period 7 years) was available for all patients, among whom 42 (66.7%) had relapsed and 32 (50.8%) had died. The immunohistochemistry method was adopted for the detection of cathepsin B using paraffin embedded specimens. Results were compared to clinico pathological data. Statistical analysis showed cathepsin B expression to be significantly associated with the stage of disease, debulking success and interestingly, with progesterone receptors. It was also inversely related to progressionfree survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). Accordingly, cathepsin B can be regarded as unfavorable and as an independent tumor marker for progressionfree survival and overall survival in ovarian cancer patients with long followup.