Objective To study the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) and protein kinase B (Akt) expression and clinical significance in the tissue of epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC).Methods Western Blot and immunohistochemical staining were applied to investigate the expression of PI3K and Akt in specimens of 41 patients with EOC (EOC group),20 patients with normal ovary (NO,NO group) and 20 patients with benign epithelial ovarian tumor (BEOT,BEOT group).Results The positive expression rate of PI3K in EOC group [70.7％(29/41)] was significantly higher than that in NO group and BEOT group [10.0％ (2/20),20.0％ (4/20)] (P ＜0.01).The positive expression rate of Akt in EOC group [73.2％ (30/41)] was significantly higher than that in NO group and BEOT group [10.0％ (2/20),30.0％ (6/20)] (P＜ 0.01).There was significant difference in the expression of PI3K and Akt between Ⅰ-1Ⅱ stage and Ⅲ-Ⅳ stage in EOC patients (P ＜ 0.05).There was no significant difference in the expression of PI3K and Akt between serous cystadenocarcinoma and mucous cystadenocarcinoma (P ＞ 0.05).Conclusions The expression of PI3K and Akt increases obvioualy in the tissue of EOC.PI3K and Akt may play important roles in carcinogenesis and metastasis of EOC.PI3K/Akt pathway may be served as a potential target for anticancer therapy.

One hundred and sixty-eight specimens of precancerous lesions of gastric mucosa were studied with mucohistochemistry,and ABC immunohisto-chemistry stains of MG7 which is a monoclonal antibody against human gastric cancer (GC).In addition,quantitative analysis of cell DNA was performed with flowcytometry in 36 specimens.It was found that the incidence of type I b intestinal metaplasia (IM) was significantly higher in dysplasia and in the mucosa adjacent to GC than in chronic atrophic gastritis (CAG),and the positive rate of MG7-Ag in type Ⅱb IM was significantly higher than that in type Ⅰa,Ⅰb and Ⅱa IM.Type Ⅱb IM could degenerate into dysplasia.MG7-Ag positive rate,DNA aneuploid rate and the percentage of S and G2+ M cells were significantly higher in type Ⅱb IM with dysplasia than in simple type Ⅱb IM.These findings support the supposed progressive course of CAG →type Ⅱb IM→dyspalsia→GC,and type Ⅱb IM with dysplasia is closely associated with GC.