TITLE:
The Frequency of the v-AKT Murine Thymoma Viral Oncogene Homologue 1 Gene Amplification among Sudanese Women with Ovarian Cancer: A Cross-Sectional Study
AUTHORS:
Rawia Eljaili Elmassry, Aisha Osman Mohammed, Amina Ibrahim Badawy, Rasha Saad Abdalhamid, Huda Abdalla Eltahir, Safa Abass Mohammed, Hammad Yahia Abdou, Adil Abdelrahim Yousif, Zubaida Abohumeda Adam, Nazik Elmalaika Husaim
KEYWORDS:
AKT1 Gene Amplification, Ovarian Cancer, Cross-Sectional Study, Quantitative Real-Time PCR, Sudan
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Genetics,
Vol.13 No.2,
May
23,
2023
ABSTRACT: Background: Protein kinase B (AKT/PKB) family is frequently amplified in ovarian cancer (OC). To the greatest of our knowledge,
there is a lack of published reports about the amplification of the genes belonging
to the AKT family among Sudanese women with
OC. The present study was conducted to detect the AKT1 gene amplification and
its association with tumour types, grades, and ages among Sudanese women
with OC, bearing in mind the ethnic variation. Methods: This
institution-based study included 79 cases of women diagnosed with ovarian
cancer (OC) at Omdurman Maternity Hospital in the period 2013-2018.
Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue sections were used to extract
RNA. AKT1 gene amplification was assessed using quantitative real-time PCR. Results:
The mean age (±SD) of included women was 49.29
(±13.612). The amplification of AKT1 gene was observed in 18/79 (22.8%) of OC women, with a high frequency in women with undifferentiated 1/2 (50%), clear cell 2/6 (33.3%), mucinous 3/11
(27.3%), endometrioid 3/17 (17.6%), and serous carcinomas 5/30 OC
(16.7%). High frequency was seen in women with low (26.3%; n = 10/28) rather
than in higher (19.5%; n = 8/33) grade carcinoma, and in older (25.8%; n =
8/23) rather than younger (18.2%; n = 2/9) women. No significant association between
AKT1 gene amplification and tumour types, grades, and ages of women was
observed (Fisher’s Exact test: p = 0.405, 0.593 and 0.851, respectively). Conclusion:
AKT1 gene amplification arises in around one-fifth of Sudanese women with
ovarian cancer (OC). It is seen more in undifferentiated, clear cell, and
mucinous tumours types, and more frequently in low tumour grade and older
women, but not to a statistically significant level. These outcomes sustenance
previous studies suggesting that activated AKT genes have a vital role in OC
progression and may offer a plan for targeted therapy and prognostic
evaluation.