Ectonucleoside
triphosphate diphosphohydrolase-2 (
NTPDase2/CD39L1) has been described in human non-pathological endometrium in both epithelial and stromal components without changes along the cycle. It was identified as a stromal marker of basalis. In the present study, we aimed to evaluate
NTPDase2 distribution, using immunolabeling and in situ
enzyme activity approaches, in
endometrial carcinoma (EC) at different
tumor grades.
NTPDase2 was present in
tumor epithelial EC cells, as in the non-pathological endometria, but the expression underwent changes in subcellular distribution and also tended to decrease with the
tumor grade. In stroma,
NTPDase2 was identified exclusively at the
tumor-myometrial junction but this expression was lost in
tumors of invasive phenotype. We have also identified in EC samples the presence of the perivascular population of endometrial mesenchymal stem cells (eMSCs) positive for sushi domain containing 2 (SUSD2) and for
NTPDase2, already described in non-tumoral endometrium. Our results point to
NTPDase2 as a histopathological marker of
tumor invasion in EC, with diagnostic relevance especially in cases of EC coexisting with other endometrial disorders, such as
adenomyosis, which occasionally hampers the assessment of
tumor invasion parameters.