Front Oncol. 2026 Aug 7;16:1848585. doi: 10.3389/fonc.2026.1848585. eCollection 2026.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: This study aims to compare the expression of p53, PTEN, and p16 among three groups: endometrial polyps of breast cancer patients receiving endocrine therapy, common sporadic endometrial polyps, and endometrial carcinoma (type I). This study also analyzes the correlation between the immunohistochemical expression of these markers and the clinical characteristics of breast cancer patients receiving endocrine therapy.
METHODS: From 1 December 2022, to 31 December 2023, we retrospectively enrolled 93 breast cancer patients receiving endocrine therapy with endometrial polyps, 60 patients with common sporadic endometrial polyps, and 48 patients with endometrial carcinoma (type I) (all cases were retrieved from our hospital). The expression of p53, PTEN, and p16 was detected using immunohistochemistry. Spearman’s correlation analysis was conducted to explore factors associated with p16 and PTEN expression in the endocrine therapy cohort.
RESULTS: No statistically significant difference in the p53 expression distribution was observed among the tamoxifen (TAM), toremifene (TOR), endometrial polyps (EP), and endometrial carcinoma (EC) groups regardless of menopausal status. In premenopausal patients, the semi-quantitative immunohistochemical (IHC) scores of p16 and PTEN in the TAM and TOR groups were intermediate between those of EP and EC groups (Holm-adjusted P < 0.05). This specific pattern was not observed in the postmenopausal group. In the endocrine therapy-treated cohort, Spearman’s correlation analysis revealed that the semi-quantitative IHC score of p16 was positively correlated with age, blood lipids, and BMI; negatively correlated with abnormal uterine bleeding and endometrial thickness (P < 0.05); the semi-quantitative IHC score of PTEN was negatively correlated with menopausal status and diabetes mellitus (P < 0.05).
CONCLUSIONS: In this retrospective immunohistochemical analysis of premenopausal women, p16 and PTEN expression in the TAM/TOR group was intermediate between those of EP and EC groups. This pattern may suggest a hyperproliferative polyp phenotype, but remains speculative without confirmatory proliferation biomarkers and molecular validation. Long-term surveillance may be considered for this population, though prospective cohort data are needed to confirm its clinical utility. p16 was positively associated with age, blood lipids, and BMI, and negatively associated with abnormal uterine bleeding and endometrial thickness; PTEN was negatively associated with menopausal status and diabetes mellitus. These preliminary associations provide exploratory clues for endometrial follow-up biomarker research.
PMID:42630187 | PMC:PMC13493233 | DOI:10.3389/fonc.2026.1848585
