Expression of survivin and matrix metalloproteinases in adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma of the uterine cervix

Cervical cancer can be classified into two histological types: squamous cell carcinoma (SCA) and adenocarcinoma (ACA). Reportedly ACA has poorer prognoses, metastasizes more easily to lymph nodes, and is more resistant to radiotherapy than SCA. To clarify the cause of characteristic differences between these histological types, we examined the expressions of apoptosis inhibiting and tumor-invasion related factors in both histological types. We reviewed the 34 cases of cervical cancer (17 ACA, 17 SCA) that had surgery as their initial treatment at Osaka City University Medical School Hospital between 1996 and 2001. The differences of survivin, and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP-2, and MMP-7) expressions between both histological types were immunohistochemically assayed, and the correlation between the expression of each protein and clinicopathological characteristics was analyzed. Survivin was expressed significantly stronger in ACA cases (p=0.03). The number of patients who expressed MMP-2 and MMP-7 simultaneously was significantly higher in SCA cases (p=0.039). MMP-2 and MMP-7 had tendencies to be expressed stronger in SCA (p=0.057 and p=0.084, respectively). These results suggest that the differences of the expression of survivin (an apoptosis inhibiting factor), MMP-2, and MMP-7 (tumor-invasion related factors) between ACA and SCA were causes of the characteristic differences between the two histological types.