Expression of hepatocyte growth factor and c-Met in hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma.
CONCLUSIONS
Our results suggest that hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) may play an important role in the progression of hypopharyngeal cancer.


OBJECTIVE
HGF, a potent stimulator of hepatocyte growth, stimulates the motility, invasiveness, proliferation and morphogenesis of epithelium and may be involved in physiologic and pathologic processes such as embryogenesis, wound healing, organ regeneration, inflammation and tumor invasion. We therefore examined the role of HGF and c-Met in the invasion and metastasis of hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC).


METHODS
We performed immunohistochemical staining of 40 specimens each of normal mucosa and SCC of the hypopharynx with HGF and c-Met antibodies. For reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Western blotting, fresh normal and cancer tissue from the hypopharynx obtained from five patients were used.


RESULTS
Positive rates of HGF and c-Met expression in hypopharyngeal SCC were 77.5% and 70%, respectively. HGF staining was significantly correlated with lymph node metastasis and pathologic stage (p < 0.05). c-Met staining was only significantly correlated with lymph node metastasis (p < 0.05). Increased expression of c-Met mRNA (RT-PCR) and protein (Western blotting) was detected in hypopharyngeal cancer tissue.
Kim
Chul-Ho
CH
Department of Otolaryngology, Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon, South Korea.
Moon
Sung-Kyun
SK
Bae
Joon-Ho
JH
Lee
Jae Ho
JH
Han
Jae Ho
JH
Kim
Kyubo
K
Choi
Eun Chang
EC
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015153:Blotting, Western; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D017228:Hepatocyte Growth Factor / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007012:Hypopharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D019859:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-met / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D012313:RNA / Q000032:analysis; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
D012313:RNA; D017228:Hepatocyte Growth Factor; D019859:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-met