Downregulation Of Proline Hydroxylase 2 And Upregulation Of Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1 Alpha Are Associated With Endometrial Cancer Aggressiveness

Introduction: Proline hydroxylase 2 (PHD2) is involved in tumorigenesis. This study aimed to examine PHD2 and hypoxia-inducible factor 1 alpha (HIF-1 alpha) expression in different endometrial tissues and explore the correlations between PHD2 and HIF-1 alpha expression with clinicopathological characteristics of endometrial cancer.Methods: We collected 50 tissue sections of endometrial adenocarcinoma, 30 of atypical endometrial hyperplasia, and 30 of control normal endometrium. The expression of PHD2 was detected by PCR, Western blot, and immunohistochemical analysis.Results: PHD2 mRNA and protein levels reduced in endometrial cancer tissues compared to normal endometrium (p<0.05). In contrast, HIF-1 alpha expression levels increased in endometrial cancer tissues compared to normal endometrium (p<0.05). In addition, PHD2 and HIF-1 alpha levels were correlated with lymphovascular stromal invasion (LVSI), postoperative FIGO stage, and lymph node metastasis of endometrial cancer (p<0.05).Conclusion: Our findings suggest that reduced expression of PHD2 and increased expression of HIF-1 alpha are associated with endometrial cancer aggressiveness. PHD2 might be a novel biomarker and a potential target for endometrial cancer management.