Quantitative glycohistochemistry defines new prognostic markers for cancers of the oral cavity.
BACKGROUND
Histopathologic grading and clinical staging cannot provide a precise prognosis of oral cavity cancer patients. The use of glycohistochemical markers may improve the level of prognostic accuracy of such conventional classification systems.


METHODS
Computer-assisted microscopy was employed in a series of 40 oral cavity cancers to determine quantitatively the percentage of positive cells, the staining intensity, and the level of staining heterogeneity for 3 glycohistochemical markers, including peanut agglutinin (PNA), Thomsen-Friedenreich antigen (T antigen) as part of a neoglycoprotein, and sarcolectin. Data were evaluated by discriminant analysis.


RESULTS
Although the level of differentiation (P < 0.01 to P < 0.001) and the T variable of the TNM staging system (P < 0.05 to P < 0.01) related mainly to the level of expression of the acceptor sites for PNA and the T antigen, the patient survival period (P < 0.05) was largely a fraction of the level of expression of the acceptor sites for the carrier-immobilized T antigen and for sarcolectin.


CONCLUSIONS
In oral cavity cancer, determining the level of acceptor sites for PNA, T antigen, and sarcolectin provides useful information on histopathologic differentiation, clinical staging, and survival. Because these processes of determination were carried out quantitatively, a discriminant model was set up, which enabled the level of oral cavity cancer aggressiveness to be characterized precisely. The current methodology described in this article should therefore afford pathologists original and quantitative (and thus objective) prognostic markers for oral cavity cancers.
Saussez
S
S
Department of Otolaryngology & Head and Neck Surgery, Cliniques Universitaires de Bruxelles, Hôpital Erasme, Brussels, Belgium.
Marchant
H
H
Nagy
N
N
Decaestecker
C
C
Hassid
S
S
Jortay
A
A
Schüring
M P
MP
Gabius
H J
HJ
Danguy
A
A
Salmon
I
I
Kiss
R
R
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm / Q000032:analysis; D015295:Antigens, Tumor-Associated, Carbohydrate / Q000032:analysis; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis*; D004396:Coloring Agents; D003199:Computer Systems; D016002:Discriminant Analysis; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006651:Histocytochemistry; D006801:Humans; D007519:Isoantigens / Q000032:analysis; D037102:Lectins / Q000032:analysis; D008297:Male; D008853:Microscopy; D008875:Middle Aged; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000145:classification / Q000473:pathology*; D009124:Muscle Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000473:pathology; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D019887:Peanut Agglutinin / Q000032:analysis; D011379:Prognosis; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface / Q000235:genetics; D015996:Survival Rate
D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D015295:Antigens, Tumor-Associated, Carbohydrate; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D004396:Coloring Agents; D007519:Isoantigens; D037102:Lectins; D009124:Muscle Proteins; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D019887:Peanut Agglutinin; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface; C016467:Thomsen-Friedenreich antigen; C039495:sarcolectin