Correlation between MUC5AC expression and the prognosis of patients with adenocarcinoma of the uterine cervix

Background: Mucin expression shows some correlation with prognosis in patients with various cancers. However, few studies have been conducted on adenocarcinomas of the uterine cervix. Methods: An immunohistochemical study with a monoclonal anti-MUC5AC antibody, 45Ml, was performed on 47 adenocarcinomas of the uterine cervix and on 40 specimens of normal endocervical epithelium. The correlations between clinicopathologic variables and MUC5AC expression were evaluated in the cervical adenocarcinomas., Results: A significant reduction of MUC5AC expression was evident in the adenocarcinomas of the cervix in comparison with that in the normal endocervical epithelium (53.2% vs. 100%; P < .001). MUC5AC expression was correlated with paracervical invasion and histological type. Patients with negative MUC5AC expression showed poorer survival than those with positive MUC5AC expression (P = .03). However, multivariate analysis revealed that only the depth of invasion was an independent prognostic variable. Conclusions: MUC5AC expression was suppressed in adenocarcinoma of the uterine cervix. Absence of MUC5AC expression seems correlated with worse survival.