Expression of mucin antigens (MUC1 and MUC16) as a prognostic factor for mucinous adenocarcinoma of the uterine cervix

Aim: Only limited data are available regarding mucin antigen expression in adenocarcinoma of the uterine cervix. Methods: Fifty-two patients with mucinous adenocarcinoma of the endocervical type were enrolled for making clear implication of the mucin antigens. The expression of mucin antigens in hysterectomized specimens were determined immunohistochemically. Clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis included International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage, histological grade, nodal and ovarian metastases, overall and disease-free survivals. The relationships of the expression of mucin antigens to various variables were investigated using uni- and multivariate analyses. Results: The majority of mucinous adenocarcinoma showed overexpression of MUC1 and MUC16. Overexpression of both MUC1 and MUC16 was associated with lower survival rates. Particularly, overexpression of MUC1 was associated with a lower disease-free survival rate and lymph node metastasis. However, absence of expression of MUC1 and/or MUC16 was associated with longer overall and disease-free survival. In cases classified as FIGO stage Ib (n = 35), after adjusting for patient age at diagnosis and stratifying by histological grade, MUC1 and/or MUC 16 overexpression was an independent prognostic factor for overall survival (hazard ratio [HR] = 6.16, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.01-118.5, P < 0.05). After stratifying by ovarian metastasis, MUC1 and/or MUC 16 overexpression was also an independent prognostic factor for disease-free survival (HR = 5.50, 95% CI = 0.82-87.4, P < 0.05). Conclusion: The expressions of MUC1 and/or MUC16 may be available as independent prognostic factors for the endocervical type of mucinous adenocarcinoma.