Correlation of S100A4 expression with invasion and metastasis in oral squamous cell carcinoma
Received 5 September 2003; accepted 14 October 2003.
Abstract
S100A4 is known to be involved in cancer cell motility by virtue of its ability to activate non-muscle myosin. In the current study, we investigated the interrelationship of clinico-pathological findings and S100A4 expression in oral squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). The expression of S100A4 was examined immunohistochemically in 41 clinical specimens of oral SCC. S100A4 expression was detected in 11 (26.8%) of 41 cases. Although the expression of S100A4 was not associated with the primary tumor site and degree of differentiation, there was a significant correlation between the increased S100A4-expression and the mode of invasion (p<0.0001). In addition, the S100A4 status showed a clear correlation with lymph node metastasis (p<0.01). These results lead us to conclude that S100A4 expression status may be a useful prognostic factor in patients with invasive and metastatic oral SCCs.
aDepartment of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Kanazawa University, Graduate School of Medicine, 13-1 Takaramachi, Kanazawa 920-8640, Japan
bDepartment of Experimental Therapeutics, Cancer Research Institute, Kanazawa University, 13-1 Takaramachi, Kanazawa 920-0934, Japan
cDepartment of Gastric Cancer, Shizuoka Cancer Center, 1007 Shimo-nagakubo, Kagaizumimachi, Suntougun, Shizuoka 411-0934, Japan
dDivision of Clinical Chemistry and Biochemistry, Department of Pediatrics, University of Zürich, Steinwiesstr. 75, CH-8032 Zürich, Switzerland
Corresponding author. Address: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Kanazawa University, Graduate School of Medicine, 13-1 Takaramachi, Kanazawa 920-8640, Japan. Tel.: +81-76-265-2444; fax: +81-76-234-4522
ABSTRACT