Prognostic value of Le(y) and H antigens in oral tongue carcinomas.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the prognostic significance of the carbohydrate epitopes H and Le(y) and their relationship with proliferation and apoptosis.


METHODS
Eighty randomly selected patients with T1-T4 oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) were studied. Serial sections were cut from diagnostic, formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded specimens.


METHODS
Sections were stained immunohistochemically for H antigen and Le(y).


RESULTS
Expression of H antigen was associated positively with Le(y) expression (P = .0001). Expressions of H antigen or Le(y) correlated with the proliferative markers Ki67 (P = .0442 and P = .0003, respectively) and pAgNOR > 1 (P = .0674 and P = .0047, respectively), but not with apoptotic markers such as Bax expression or the apoptotic index (AI). Tumors that expressed H antigen and high levels of Le(y) (> 50%) had a poor prognosis (P = .0006 and P = .0056, respectively). Combinations of expression of H antigen and Le(y), and either proliferative or apoptotic markers revealed an enhanced prognostic potential (P < .0001). The combination of pAgNOR score greater than 1 and H-antigen expression appeared to be the best combination to predict good prognosis.


CONCLUSIONS
The expression of H antigen and Le(y), especially their combination with proliferative or apoptotic markers, has prognostic value in tongue SCC.
Xie
X
X
Department of Otolaryngology, National Hospital, Oslo, Norway.
Boysen
M
M
Clausen
O P
OP
Bryne
M A
MA
D000017:ABO Blood-Group System / Q000032:analysis*; D017209:Apoptosis; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007983:Lewis Blood Group Antigens / Q000032:analysis*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D011897:Random Allocation; D014062:Tongue Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology
D000017:ABO Blood-Group System; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D007983:Lewis Blood Group Antigens; C094162:Lewis Y antigen