The vitamin D receptor (VDR), primarily known as a crucial mediator of calcium homeostasis and metabolism, has been shown to play a significant role in various cancer entities. Previous studies have focused on vitamin D and its receptor in gynecological cancers, noting that the receptor is upregulated in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). The aim of this study is to analyze the prognostic impact of VDR and its functional significance in ovarian cancer. Through immunohistochemistry, VDR staining was examined in 156 ovarian cancer samples. Evaluation of VDR staining was conducted in the nucleus and the cytoplasm using the semi-quantitative immunoreactive score, and the scores were classified into high- and low-level expressions. Expression levels were correlated with clinical and pathological parameters as well as with overall survival to assess for prognostic impact. Differences in cytoplasmic VDR expression were identified between the histological subtypes (p = 0.001). Serous, clear cell, and endometrioid subtypes showed the highest staining, while the mucinous subtype showed the lowest. Cytoplasmic VDR correlated with higher FIGO stage (p = 0.013; Cc = 0.203), positive lymph node status (p = 0.023; Cc = 0.236), high-grade serous histology (p = 0.000; Cc = 0.298) and grading from the distinct histological subtypes (p = 0.006; Cc = − 0.225). Nuclear VDR did not correlate with clinicopathological data. High cytoplasmic expression of VDR was associated with impaired overall survival (HR 2.218, 32.5 months vs. median not reached; p < 0.001) and was confirmed as a statistically independent prognostic factor in the Cox regression multivariate analysis. Additional knowledge of VDR as a biomarker and its interactions within the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway could potentially improve the prognosis of therapeutic approaches for specific subgroups in EOC.

维生素 D 受体 (VDR) 主要被称为钙稳态和代谢的关键介质，已被证明在各种癌症实体中发挥着重要作用。以前的研究集中在妇科癌症中的维生素 D 及其受体，注意到该受体在上皮性卵巢癌 (EOC) 中上调。本研究的目的是分析 VDR 的预后影响及其在卵巢癌中的功能意义。通过免疫组织化学，在 156 个卵巢癌样本中检查了 VDR 染色。使用半定量免疫反应评分在细胞核和细胞质中进行VDR染色评估，并将评分分为高表达和低表达。表达水平与临床和病理参数以及总生存期相关，以评估预后影响。在组织学亚型之间确定了细胞质 VDR 表达的差异（p  = 0.001）。浆液性、透明细胞和子宫内膜样亚型染色最高，而粘液性亚型染色最低。细胞质 VDR 与较高的 FIGO 分期（p  = 0.013；Cc  = 0.203）、阳性淋巴结状态（p  = 0.023；Cc  = 0.236）、高级别浆液性组织学（p  = 0.000；Cc  = 0.298）和不同的分级相关组织学亚型（p  = 0.006；Cc  = - 0.225）。核 VDR 与临床病理数据不相关。VDR 的高细胞质表达与受损的总生存期相关（HR 2.218，32.5 个月 vs. 中位数未达到；p < 0.001) 并在 Cox 回归多变量分析中被确认为统计上独立的预后因素。进一步了解 VDR 作为生物标志物及其在丝裂原活化蛋白激酶 (MAPK) 信号通路中的相互作用可能会改善 EOC 特定亚组治疗方法的预后。