title: Nuclear localization of mammary serine protease inhibitor (MASPIN): is its impact on the prognosis in laryngeal carcinoma due to a proapoptotic effect?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Cell death by apoptosis is considered a regulator of cell number; cancer cells are defective in their response to apoptosis. Many potential markers of apoptosis are under study: M30 immunoreactivity is confined to the cytoplasm of apoptotic epithelial cells and is expressed during early apoptosis. Mammary serine protease inhibitor (MASPIN), a suppressor of tumor growth, seems to be involved in the induction of tumour cell apoptosis. The aim of our preliminary study was to investigate, for the first time, the relations between MASPIN subcellular pattern of expression, nuclear MASPIN expression, M30 expression, and prognosis in laryngeal carcinoma.
  
  
  METHODS
  Subcellular pattern of distribution of MASPIN and nuclear MASPIN expression were immunohistochemically determined in 66 consecutive cases of laryngeal carcinoma. M30 expression in correspondent carcinoma fields was also calculated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  M30 expression was significantly higher in the group of laryngeal carcinomas with MASPIN nuclear localization (P = .024). Our investigation found a reduced carcinoma recurrence rate in the group of patients with MASPIN nuclear localization (P value = .0086). The log-rank test showed a significantly longer disease-free interval in patients with nuclear MASPIN localization (P = .029).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These preliminary results support the hypothesis of an apoptosis-sensitizing effect of nuclear MASPIN in laryngeal carcinoma with the potential perspective of a clinical use of the tumour suppressive proapoptotic function of MASPIN.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical and Surgical Specialties, Section of Otolaryngology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy. gino.marioni@unipd.it
authors.forename: Gino
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Marioni
authors.forename: Luciano
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Giacomelli
authors.forename: Emiliano
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: D'Alessandro
authors.forename: Rosario
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Marchese-Ragona
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Staffieri
authors.forename: Silvia M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Ferraro
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Staffieri
authors.forename: Stella
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Blandamura
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D017209:Apoptosis; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000096:biosynthesis; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007822:Laryngeal Neoplasms / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D007825:Laryngectomy; D008297:Male; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D015843:Serpins / Q000096:biosynthesis*
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; C085344:SERPIN-B5; D015843:Serpins