title: Immunohistochemical localization of parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHrP) and serum PTHrP in normocalcemic patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma.
abstract: Cancer cells produce parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHrP) in the early phase of malignancy development, before hypercalcemia occurs. The relationship between PTHrP and the clinicopathologic features of oral squamous cell carcinoma is poorly understood. We studied 60 patients (43 men, 17 women; mean age, 64.8 +/- 11.2 years) with primary oral squamous cell carcinoma, from whom pretreatment biopsy specimens were obtained. We examined the relationship among immunohistochemical PTHrP expression, serum PTHrP levels, clinical characteristics of the tumor, and histopathologic aspects of the tumor. The mean calcium concentration for the 60 patients was 9.1 +/- 0.4 mg/dl. No patients had laboratory evidence of hypercalcemia before treatment. Six patients had serum levels of C-terminal (C)-PTHrP higher than the normal level of 55.3 pmol/l. There were no significant differences in serum C-PTHrP levels according to TNM stages. Abundant positive immunoreactivity for anti-PTHrP (1-34) antibody was recognized diffusely in the whole cytoplasm of many tumor cells. Anti-PTHrP (38-64) antibody staining tended to localize as small granules in the cytoplasm, especially close to the nuclear periphery. There was no correlation between the serum C-PTHrP concentration and the intensity of either immunostain. The intensity of PTHrP was proportionally related to the degree of differentiation or extent of keratinization (P < 0.05) and the histologic malignancy grade of the tumor (P < 0.05), when using antibody against PTHrP (1-34), but not when using antibody against PTHrP (38-64). Serum C-PTHrP levels did not correlate with the intensity of cellular PTHrP expression and characteristics of the tumor at the initial patient visit. The fragment that includes PTHrP (1-34) may be involved in the differentiation of oral squamous cell carcinoma. The differences between immunoreactivities may have been due to differing tissue malignancies and the use of different antibodies. The results suggest the need for caution when interpreting immunoreactivities of PTHrP in malignancies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology, The Nippon Dental University School of Dentistry at Niigata, 1-8 Hamaura-cho, Niigata 951-8580, Japan. tsuchimochi@ngt.ndu.ac.jp
authors.forename: Makoto
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tsuchimochi
authors.forename: Ayako
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kameta
authors.forename: Mikiko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sue
authors.forename: Masataka
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Katagiri
mesh_terms: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D001706:Biopsy; D002118:Calcium / Q000097:blood; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000473:pathology*; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000648:ultrastructure; D003593:Cytoplasm / Q000648:ultrastructure; D003594:Cytoplasmic Granules / Q000648:ultrastructure; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007633:Keratins / Q000032:analysis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D010281:Parathyroid Hormone / Q000032:analysis / Q000097:blood; D044162:Parathyroid Hormone-Related Protein / Q000032:analysis* / Q000097:blood; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000032:analysis / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D010281:Parathyroid Hormone; D044162:Parathyroid Hormone-Related Protein; D010446:Peptide Fragments; C023443:carboxyl-terminal parathyroid hormone; C054296:parathyroid hormone-related protein (1-34); D007633:Keratins; D002118:Calcium