Epidermoid carcinoma of the lip: an immunohistochemical study.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the expression of the c-erb-B2, p53, bcl-2, Ki67 and CD44varV6 proteins, and to establish their prognostic value in epidermoid carcinoma of the lip.


METHODS
Immunohistochemical study of the c-erb-B2, p53, bcl-2, Ki67 and CD44varV6 proteins in 79 epidermoid carcinomas of the lip, diagnosed and treated over a period of 20 years. The data obtained were subjected to uni- and multi-variate statistical analyses.


RESULTS
Immunostaining was positive in 75% of cases for c-erb-B2 protein, in 70.6% for p53 protein, in 3.8% for bcl-2 protein and in 89.9% for adhesion molecule CD44varV6. Ki67 protein expression varied between a minimum of 0% and a maximum of 6.29%. Most immunohistochemical factors analyzed presented no prognostic value for epidermoid carcinoma of the lip. Only those patients affected by this type of tumor that expressed the adhesion molecule CD44varV6 were significantly associated with a greater survival calculated by means of Kaplan-Meier analysis.


CONCLUSIONS
The immunohistochemical techniques analyzed for the anatomicopathological study of epidermoid carcinoma of the lip should not routinely be used due to their high cost and low utility in daily clinical practice.
García-Montesinos-Perea
Belén
B
Hospital Universitario Marqués de Valdecilla, Santander. gmontesinos@humv.es
Val-Bernal
José Fernando
JF
Saiz-Bustillo
Ramón
R
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis*; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000737:chemistry*; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D018960:Hyaluronan Receptors / Q000032:analysis; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D019394:Ki-67 Antigen / Q000032:analysis; D008048:Lip Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry*; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000032:analysis*; D011379:Prognosis; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / Q000032:analysis; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases / Q000032:analysis; D016019:Survival Analysis; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 / Q000032:analysis
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D006023:Glycoproteins; D018960:Hyaluronan Receptors; D019394:Ki-67 Antigen; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53; C112697:CD44v6 antigen