Proliferating cell nuclear antigen in malignant and pre-malignant lesions of epithelial origin in the oral cavity and the skin: an immunohistochemical study.
Proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) is a nuclear protein synthesized in the late G1 and S phase of the cell cycle and immunohistochemical detection of the protein represents a useful marker for the proliferating fraction of cells in tissue specimens. A series of malignant and pre-malignant lesions of the oral cavity and skin were evaluated by the streptavidin biotin immunoperoxidase method for detection of this protein. Monoclonal anti-PCNA antibody (PC 10) labelled proliferating cells in all cases with varying intensity of nuclear staining. In squamous cell carcinoma (n = 48), PCNA positivity correlated with the differentiation and atypia of the tumour cells; however, in poorly differentiated tumours, the relationship between PCNA expression and proliferation was lost. Basal cell carcinoma showed an increased growth fraction in tiny epithelial nests (mean 43.8, SD 6.0, n = 20) than in neoplastic basal cells (mean 30.1, SD 6.9, n = 8). The growth fractions were significantly higher in the pre-malignant lesions (leukoplakia, mean 22.3, SD 7.7, n = 14; Bowen's disease, mean 45.2, SD 11.7, n = 12; senile keratosis, mean 41.2, SD 7.0, n = 12) than in the normal mucosa (mean 9.8, SD 4.9, n = 10), suggesting that cellular growth fractions correlate with the degree of dysplasia in pre-malignant lesions.
Tsuji
T
T
Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Yamaguchi University School of Medicine, Japan.
Shrestha
P
P
Yamada
K
K
Takagi
H
H
Shinozaki
F
F
Sasaki
K
K
Maeda
K
K
Mori
M
M
D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm / Q000032:analysis; D004848:Epithelium / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D009061:Mouth Mucosa / Q000276:immunology*; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology*; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000032:analysis*; D011230:Precancerous Conditions / Q000276:immunology*; D018809:Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology*; D013194:Staining and Labeling
D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D018809:Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen