FGFR-2 and -3 play an important role in initial stages of oral oncogenesis.
BACKGROUND
FGFR-2 and FGFR-3 (fibroblast growth factor receptors) have been shown to play an important role in several processes including carcinogenesis. This study was designed to determine gradual FGFR-2 and FGFR-3 expression in sequential stages of oral carcinogenesis in an experimental animal system of Syrian golden hamsters.


METHODS
Tissue sections ranging from normal mucosa to squamous cell carcinoma were studied using monoclonal antibodies against FGFR-2 and FGFR-3 proteins.


RESULTS
A significant elevation was revealed in both FGFR-2 and FGFR-3 expression during the stages of dysplasia and early invasion, while in the later stages of oral carcinogenesis the expression of both FGFR-2 and FGFR-3 decreased although not significantly.


CONCLUSIONS
Our findings indicate that FGFR-2 and FGFR-3 seem to play an important role in the initial stages of oral cancer progression.
Vairaktaris
Eleftherios
E
Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University of Athens Medical School, Vas. Sofias 93 and Dim. Soutsou 1, Athens 11521, Greece. lvairakt@med.uoa.gr
Ragos
Vassilis
V
Yapijakis
Christos
C
Derka
Spyridoula
S
Vassiliou
Stavros
S
Nkenke
Emeka
E
Yannopoulos
Athanassios
A
Spyridonidou
Sofia
S
Vylliotis
Antonis
A
Papakosta
Veronica
V
Loukeri
Sofia
S
Lazaris
Andreas
A
Tesseromatis
Christina
C
Tsigris
Christos
C
Patsouris
Efstratios
E
D000818:Animals; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006224:Cricetinae; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D008647:Mesocricetus; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000503:physiopathology*; D051497:Receptor, Fibroblast Growth Factor, Type 2 / Q000502:physiology*; D051498:Receptor, Fibroblast Growth Factor, Type 3 / Q000502:physiology*
D051497:Receptor, Fibroblast Growth Factor, Type 2; D051498:Receptor, Fibroblast Growth Factor, Type 3