Oral Oncology
Volume 38, Issue 6 , Pages 618-623, September 2002

Expression of cell cycle proteins in head and neck cancer correlates with tumor site rather than tobacco use

  • S Haas

      Affiliations

    • Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University Hospital of Mannheim, D-68135 Germany
    • Corresponding Author InformationCorresponding author. Present address: Institute of Pathology, University of Bonn, Sigmund Freud Str. 25, D-53127 Bonn, Germany. Tel.: +49-228-287-5359; fax; +49-228-287-5030
    • ,
  • K Hörmann

      Affiliations

    • Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University Hospital of Mannheim, D-68135 Germany
    • ,
  • F.X Bosch

      Affiliations

    • Molecular Biology Laboratory, Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University of Heidelberg, D-69125 Germany

Received 25 July 2001; accepted 6 August 2001.

Abstract 

Head and neck squamous cell carcinomas of non-smoking patients may result from specific defects in cell cycle control. Expression of p53, pRb, p16INK4a and Cyclin D1 was examined by immunohistochemistry of biopsies obtained from 24 non-smoking and 25 smoking patients, both groups representing similar clinical features (tumor site, stage of disease, gender).

Expression of p16INK4a was restricted to carcinomas of the tonsils (8/24), P=0.0069. In 6/8 p16INK4a-positive cases, expression of pRb was absent or reduced. p16 was the only marker showing a significant correlation with a negative smoking history (P=0.0208). Overexpression of Cyclin D1 was frequent in carcinomas of the tongue (6/14) but rare in tonsillar carcinomas (2/24), P=0.0303. Expression of p53 was independent of the smoking history and the tumor site.

Our results implicate that there are factors other than tobacco consumption which may influence the development of head and neck cancers at distinct tumor sites.

Keywords:  Head and neck cancer, Cell cycle proteins, p53, pRb, p16INK4a, Cyclin D1, Non-smokers, Tumor site

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PII: S1368-8375(01)00108-7

Oral Oncology
Volume 38, Issue 6 , Pages 618-623, September 2002

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