Expression of aberrantly glycosylated Mucin-1 in ovarian cancer

International audience; Aims: Mucin 1 (MUC1) is an important tumour-associated antigen (TAA), both over-expressed and aberrantly glycosylated in adenocarcinomas. The objective of this study was to examine the MUC1-glycosylation status in primary ovarian adenocarcinomas and metastatic lesions. Methods and results: Paraffin-embedded tissue sections of 37 primary ovarian adenocarcinomas representing all histotypes (22 serous, 5 mucinous, 2 clear cell, 8 endometrioid), 4 serous borderline tumours with intraepithelial carcinoma, 7 sections of ovarian endometriosis and 13 metastatic lesions were analysed by immuno-histochemistry. Non-neoplastic ovarian surface epithelium and serous cystadenomas were used as controls. All epithelia expressed MUC1 protein. Of primary tumours, 76% expressed the differentiation-dependent glycoform and 84% the cancer-associated glycoform (Tn/Sialyl-Tn-epitopes). In metastatic lesions this was 77% and 85%, respectively. Notably, in 57% of ovarian endometriosis and 75% of intraepithelial lesions, the cancer-associated MUC1 epitopes were expressed, whereas normal ovarian surface epithelium and serous cystadenomas did not express these epitopes. Conclusions: The underglycosylated MUC1 epitopes are expressed by all histotypes of primary ovarian adenocarcinomas, by the vast majority of metastatic lesions and by ovarian cancer precursor lesions, whereas not by normal ovarian tissue. These results indicate that MUC1-associated Tn/STn-epitopes are important targets for immunotherapy and diagnostic imaging in ovarian cancer patients.