Hypothesis: To investigate the expression and the functional properties of L-type amino acid transporter 1 (LAT1) in human epithelial ovarian cancer to provide a basis for potential new therapies to control the growth and the metastasis of ovarian cancer.
Methods: The material used comprised 63 surgically resected specimens obtained from female patients undergoing gynecologic surgery at Kyorin University School of Medicine (Tokyo, Japan). The expression of LAT1 in 53 cases of ovarian cancers was determined by Western blot and immunohistochemical staining, and results were compared with those of normal ovarian tissues (5 cases) and benign ovarian tumors (5 cases).