Cancer stem cell marker CD44 in epithelial ovarian tumors: Association with adverse prognostic features in invasive carcinomas
Shikhar Chohan, Poonam Khambra, Sonam Sharma, Pallavi PunhaniABSTRACT
Background:
CD44 is a cancer stem cell marker implicated in tumor progression, metastasis, and chemoresistance in various malignancies, including ovarian cancer. Its expression in epithelial ovarian tumors and its association with prognostic parameters remain areas of active investigation.
Objectives:
To evaluate CD44 expression in epithelial ovarian tumors and determine its correlation with clinicopathological parameters in invasive ovarian carcinomas.
Materials and Methods:
This cross-sectional study included 78 cases of histologically confirmed epithelial ovarian tumors over an 18-month period at a tertiary care center. Immunohistochemistry for CD44 was performed, and expression was categorized into low expression (scores 0–1) and high expression (scores 2–3). CD44 expression was analyzed across tumor categories and evaluated for its association with age, lymphovascular invasion, tumor budding, and FIGO stage; histological grade was assessed among invasive carcinomas.
Results:
CD44 expression was analyzed across tumor categories and evaluated for its association with age, histological grade, lymphovascular invasion, tumor budding, and FIGO stage. High CD44 expression showed significant associations with older age, higher tumor grade, lymphovascular invasion, increased tumor budding, and advanced FIGO stage (
Conclusions:
CD44 expression is significantly associated with adverse histopathological features in invasive epithelial ovarian carcinomas, supporting its potential role as a prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target.