title: [Expression and significance of PTEN in nasopharyngeal carcinoma].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the expression of tumor suppressor gene PTEN in nasopharyngeal carcinomas and the relationship between PTEN and the progression of nasopharyngeal cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  The SABC immunohistochemistry method was employed to detect the expression of PTEN in paraffin-embedded nasopharyngeal carcinoma tissues. The relationship between the geneexpression and clinicopathological features was analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Loss of PTEN expression in normal cases (13.3%) was lower than that in nasopharyngeal carcinoma cases (47.8%). Of nasopharyngeal cancer cases, loss of PTEN expression in squama cell nasopharyngeal (58.1%) was higher than that in others tissue type (30.8%); loss of PTEN expression in squama cell nasopharyngeal had correlation with pathological stage, which increased gradually from poorly differentiated to well differentiated squama cell nasopharyngeal; loss of PTEN expression of clinical III-IV stage (78.1%) was higher than that of clinical I-II stage (21.6%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It is presumed that PTEN gene deletion may be involved in carcinogenesis and progression of nasopharyngeal carcinoma, and relates to the tissue type, the pathological grade and clinical stage.
authors.affiliation: Central Laboratory, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, 515031, China.
authors.forename: Xijin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Haiwei
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Xia
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Huo
mesh_terms: D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D015870:Gene Expression; D016147:Genes, Tumor Suppressor; D006801:Humans; D009303:Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D051059:PTEN Phosphohydrolase / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D051059:PTEN Phosphohydrolase; C494929:PTEN protein, human