Background: The melastatin-related transient receptor potential 7 channel (TRPM7) is a nonselective cation channel that has been shown to promote tumor metastasis and progression. In this study, we determined the expression of TRPM7 in ovarian carcinomas and investigated its possible prognostic value.
Materials and methods: Samples were collected from 138 patients with ovarian cancer. Expression of TRPM7 was assessed by real-time PCR and immunohistochemistry, expressed with reference to an established scoring system and related to clinical pathological factors. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was applied to estimate disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS). Univariate and multivariate cox regression analyses were performed to correlate TRPM7 expression levels with DFS and OS.
Results: TRPM7 was highly expressed in ovarian carcinoma and significantly associated with decreased disease-free survival (DFS: median 20 months vs. 42 months, P=0.0002) and overall survival (OS: median 27 months vs. 46 months, P<0.001).
Conclusion: Overexpression of TRPM7 expression is significantly associated with poor prognosis in patients with ovarian cancer.