Background: Endometrial carcinoma is the most common malignant tumor of the female genital tract andthe fourth most common cancer in Iranian women after breast, colorectal and lung cancers. Various geneticalterations appear to be early events in the pathogenesis of endometrial carcinoma and it seems that PTEN isthe most commonly mutated gene in the endometrioid subtype. The aim of the present study was to investigatethe correlation between mutations in exon 7 of PTEN gene and endometrial carcinoma. Materials and Methods:Seventy-five patients with endometrial carcinoma and 75 females whose underwent hysterectomy for non tumoralindication were selected for evaluation of PTEN mutations in exon 7 by PCR-SSCP and sequencing. Correlationsbetween the frequency and type of mutation and the pathologic findings of the cancer (tumor subtype, stageand grade) were assessed. Results: All of the samples were obtained from Iranian patients. 60 % (45 cases) ofthe tumors were endometriod and 40% (30 cases) were of serous type. The grade distributions of the 75 casesaccording to the FIGO staging system were as follows: low grade, 20 cases; high grade 55 cases, low stage, 41cases; high stage 34 cases. For exon 7 of the PTEN gene, the analysis showed that there were no mutations in ourcases. Conclusions: Our findings in the present study suggest that exon 7 of PTEN does not play any significantrole in the development of endometrial carcinoma in Iranian cases.
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