Objective: Pathological stage is the most important prognostic factor in ovarian carcinomas, and many studies have been carried out to predict prognosis. In our study, we searched the expression of survivin, which prevents apoptosis and matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), which promotes the metastasis of the tumour by splitting up the basal membrane in primary epithelial ovarian carcinomas. We aimed to observe their effects on prognosis by comparing clinicopathological parameters.

Material and Method: 60 cases diagnosed with epithelial ovarian carcinoma between 2003 and 2008 and treated and followed up at the oncology clinic were included in the study. 42 patients were serous, 11 endometrioid, 5 mixed type, 1 was clear cell and 1 was undifferentiated adenocarcinoma. Survivin and MMP-9 expression was evaluated in each tumour and assosication with clinicopathological parameters (age, tumour diameter, localisation, histological type of tumour, grade, stage, recurrence and metastasis) were searched and also overall survival and disease free of survival were evaluated.

Results: Survivin was statistically insignificant within the clinicopathological parameters. The correlation between the tumour grade and the staining density of MMP-9 in epithelial cells (p=0.028) and the correlation between disease free of survival and MMP-9 expression in stromal cells (p=0.0326) was significant. When the stage was compered with clinocopathologic parameters; recurrence (p=0.005) and death rates (p<0.001) were significantly increased but overall survival (p=0.0269) was significantly decreased in advanced-stage patients.

Conclusion: In the present study, the stage was found to be an important prognostic parameter in surface epithelial ovarian carcinomas and an association was found between MMP-9 stromal staining and survival.