Over-expression of PDZ binding kinase in human endometrial cancer.

Gynecologic cancers including cancers of the endometrium are a clinical problem (1-4). We mined published microarray data (5, 6) to discover genes associated with endometrial cancers by comparing transcriptomes of the normal endometrium and endometrial tumors from humans. We identified PDZ binding kinase, encoded by PBK, as among the most differentially expressed genes, transcriptome-wide, in cancers of the endometrium. PBK was expressed at significantly higher levels in endometrial tumor tissues as compared to the endometrium. Importantly, primary tumor expression of PBK was correlated with recurrence-free survival in patients with endometrial cancer. PBK may be a molecule of interest in understanding the etiology or progression of human endometrial cancer.