nm23 protein expression in metastatic and non-metastatic tongue squamous cell carcinoma.
Oral squamous cells carcinoma (OSCC) shows unfavorable prognosis due to its invasion potential around the neighboring tissues and the elevated incidence of metastasis.


OBJECTIVE
the present paper aims at analyzing the immunohistochemical expression of the nm23 protein in metastatic and non-metastatic SCCs of tongue.


METHODS
the immuno-expression to the nm23-hl protein was diagnosed in 35 tongue SCC (15 of which exhibiting metastasis). Nm23-hl immuno-scores were assigned as follow: score 0 = absent, 1 = focal and 2 = diffuse expression.


RESULTS
The Fisher's exact test was performed and there was no statistical difference between the nm23-hl immuno-scores and the tongue SCCs studied cases (p=0.365), although 66.7% of metastatic cases presented negative nm23-hl expression.


CONCLUSIONS
Protein nm23 was not associated with a positiveness for tongue SCC without metastasis. Thus, several others factors inherent to host and malignancy can be associated with the mechanisms that suppress the metastatic process in this disease.
Dantas da Silveira
Ericka Janine
EJ
Universidade do Estado Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil.
Oliveira
Márcio Campos
MC
Silva Arruda de Morais
Maria de Lourdes
Mde L
Queiroz
Lélia Maria Guedes
LM
Lopes Costa
Antonio de Lisboa Lopes
Ade L
D000368:Aged; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000378:metabolism*; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000556:secondary; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D054778:NM23 Nucleoside Diphosphate Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014062:Tongue Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D054778:NM23 Nucleoside Diphosphate Kinases; C517938:NME1 protein, human