The severity of epithelial dysplasia is associated with loss of maspin expression in actinic cheilitis.
BACKGROUND
Prolonged exposure of the lip to sunlight may cause actinic cheilitis (AC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). Maspin is a serpin with tumor suppressor functions. This work analyzed the presence and distribution of maspin in AC and lip SCC.


METHODS
Sections from 36 cases diagnosed as AC (18 cases with mild epithelial dysplasia, 11 with moderate and 7 with severe), 18 cases diagnosed as lip SCC and 7 specimens containing normal lip vermillion epithelium were submitted for immunohistochemical analysis to detect maspin.


RESULTS
All AC cases with mild and two cases with moderate dysplasia were scored 3. The remaining nine cases with moderate dysplasia were identified as score 2, whereas all cases with severe dysplasia were scored 1. Positive staining for maspin decreased from the basal layer to the surface. Among the 18 lip SCCs studied, 15 cases showed abundant staining for maspin. Epithelium adjacent to the SCCs also showed intense positive staining in all cells.


CONCLUSIONS
Our results suggest that the loss of maspin expression occurs from the basal layer to the surface. Lip SCCs related to solar radiation show an intense presence of maspin protein in almost all tumor cells as well as the neighboring epithelium.
Fontes
Alexandra
A
Universidade de São Paulo - USP, São Paulo, Brazil.
de Sousa
Suzana M
SM
dos Santos
Elisa
E
Martins
Marília T
MT
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis*; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D004848:Epithelium / Q000473:pathology / Q000528:radiation effects; D015870:Gene Expression; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008048:Lip Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D011230:Precancerous Conditions / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D015843:Serpins / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D013472:Sunlight / Q000009:adverse effects
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; C085344:SERPIN-B5; D015843:Serpins