title: Expression of E-cadherin, CD44s, and CD44v6 in laryngeal and pharyngeal carcinomas.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Tumors arising from different sites of the head and neck area have very different clinical behavior. Loss or reduction of expression of adhesion molecules has been assumed to play a critical role in the development of head and neck carcinomas. The aim of this study is to determine if there are differences in the expression of adhesion molecules E-cadherin, CD44s, and CD44v6 in pharyngeal and laryngeal squamous-cell carcinomas.
  
  
  METHODS
  E-cadherin, CD44s, and CD44v6 expression was determined by immunohistochemistry in paraffin-embedded tissue specimens from 72 patients with squamous-cell carcinoma, 37 of the pharynx and 35 of the larynx.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Expression of CD44s was significantly lower in pharyngeal than in laryngeal tumors (P =.01). No differences in the expression of E-cadherin and CD44v6 were observed between these sites.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These data suggest that there are some differences at molecular level between the different subsites of head and neck cancer.
authors: Department of Otolaryngology, Hospital de Asturias, Oviedo, Asturias, Spain. jrodrigo@hcas.sespa.es
authors: Juan P
authors: JP
authors: Rodrigo
authors: Francisco
authors: F
authors: Dominguez
authors: Cesar
authors: C
authors: Alvarez
authors: Agustin
authors: A
authors: Herrero
authors: Carlos
authors: C
authors: Suarez
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015820:Cadherins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000276:immunology; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D002448:Cell Adhesion / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D018960:Hyaluronan Receptors / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000276:immunology; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007822:Laryngeal Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010610:Pharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric
chemical_list: C473647:CD44S antigen; C112697:CD44v6 antigen; D015820:Cadherins; D006023:Glycoproteins; D018960:Hyaluronan Receptors