Expression and clinical significance of methyl-CpG binding domain protein 2 in high-grade serous ovarian cancer

Platinum resistance is an important cause of clinical recurrence and mortality of patients with high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC). Methyl-CpG binding domain protein 2 (MBD2) serves an important role in tumor progression; however, its role in HGSOC remains unclear. The aim of the present study was to investigate the expression of MBD2 in HGSOC and its role in drug resistance and prognosis of HGSOC. MBD2 expression was analyzed by immunohistochemical staining and western blotting. The associations between MBD2 expression and clinical pathological features, platinum resistance and patient prognosis were analyzed using a χ(2) test, Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox regression analysis. Positive MBD2 expression was detected in 73 (63.5%) of the HGSOC tissue samples, whereas it was undetectable in all 16 normal tissue samples (100%) analyzed, indicating a significantly higher expression level in tumor tissues compared with normal tissues (P<0.001). Additionally, MBD2 expression was significantly higher in platinum-resistant cases compared with that in platinum-sensitive cases (P<0.05). In addition, high expression of MBD2 was negatively associated with relapse-free survival (P<0.05). In conclusion, MBD2 was demonstrated to be a potential drug target and a biomarker for poor prognosis in HGSOC.