Immunohistochemical expression of B-cell lymphoma 2 gene -Bcl-2 in endometrial carcinoma

Background and objectives: Apoptosis, a process of cell death, is inhibited by the B-cell lymphoma 2 protein, leading to the prolonged survival of cells. Participation of Bcl-2 in starting and advancement of endometrial carcinoma remains inconclusive, with varying results observed. The aims of this study were to assess the frequency of B-cell lymphoma 2 expression in endometrial carcinoma, and to investigate the connection between B-cell lymphoma 2 expression with some clinicopathological parameters. Methods: A retrospective study was carried out for seventy-eight formalin fixed paraffin embedded blocks of total abdominal hysterectomy specimens diagnosed as endometrial carcinoma, which were randomly obtained from a private laboratory and Rizgary teaching hospital laboratory in Erbil city during June 2021-June 2022. In this study, endometrial carcinoma cases were subjected to the utilization of B-cell lymphoma 2 gene, which is a Mouse monoclonal antibody, and its expression was evaluated. Results: The expression of Bcl-2 was observed in 61.5% of the studied cases. The majority (93.6%) of EC cases were of low grade, although Bcl-2 expression was observed at a greater frequency (64.4%) in low-grade endometrial carcinoma, but there was no significant association. Additionally, no statistically significant correlation was found between B-cell lymphoma 2 gene expression and other clinicopathological parameters like, age, myometrial invasion, lympho-vascular invasion, lymph node status and tumor stage. Conclusion: Bcl-2 was expressed in 61.5% of the studied cases with no significant association with any of the variables, additional research is necessary to assess the expression of B-cell lymphoma 2 gene in relation to endometrial carcinoma invasion and metastasis.