N-myc downstream regulated gene-1 (NDRG1) has attracted much attention as a protein associated with angiogenesis. This study investigated the associations of NDRG1 expression, determined by immunohistochemical analysis, with other clinicopathological factors and prognosis in patients with endometrial endometrioid carcinoma (EEC). Surgical specimens were obtained from 113 patients with EEC. High NDRG1 expression was correlated with advanced stage, poor differentiation, lymph node metastasis, and significantly poorer survival compared with patients with low expression. High expression of NDRG1 was also correlated with high levels of angiogenesis and low expression of the estrogen receptor. These results suggest that high expression of NDRG1 is associated with angiogenesis and is an indicator of a poor prognosis in women with EEC.
Keywords: ERα; NDRG1; PgR; endometrial endometrioid adenocarcinoma; microvessel density.