The expression of lysophosphatidic acid and C-reactive protein in the course of the vulvar squamous cell carcinoma and the vulvar lichen sclerosus

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: In the course of the study the differences regarding both C-reactive protein immune-expression and Lysophosphatidic Acid immune-expression between the stages and histologic grades of the vulvar cancer and the differences between the group of patients diagnosed with lichen sclerosus and the group of patients diagnosed with the vulvar cancer were assessed and verified. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Thirty patients with histopathological confirmed vulvar cancer and 32 women with histologically confirmed lichen sclerosus were enrolled into the study. The representative sections of tissues suspended in a 10% buffered formalin were examined regarding immunohistochemistry for C-reactive protein immune-expression and Lysophosphatidic Acid. RESULTS: There were no differences in intra-tumour nor peri-tumour depending on vulvar cancer stage defined following the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics guidelines nor grading. The highest median C-reactive protein immune-expression was observed in intra-tumour and peri-tumour vulvar cancer specimens. Median peri-tumoral C-reactive protein immune-expression was significantly higher comparing to median C-reactive protein immune-expression in lichen sclerosus samples, but there were not significant differences in median C-reactive protein immune-expression between peri-tumour and intra-tumour samples nor between intra-tumour and lichen sclerosus specimens. CONCLUSIONS: In peri-tumour specimens C-reactive protein immune expression was significantly higher than in lichen sclerosus specimens. No statistically significant differences were found between intratumour and lichen sclerosus specimens. No statistically significant difference between each type of specimens acquired in the group of patients diagnosed with lichen sclerosus and the specimens acquired in the group of patients diagnosed with vulvar cancer regarding Lysophosphatidic Acid immune expression was detected.