EMMPRIN expression in tongue squamous cell carcinoma.
BACKGROUND
Extracellular matrix metalloproteinase inducer (EMMPRIN) is identified as a tumor-cell membrane protein that stimulates matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) production. Several studies have shown that higher EMMPRIN expression is associated with shorter survival time and correlated significantly with more advanced clinico-parameters of cancer. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between clinico-pathologic characteristics and EMMPRIN, and prognostic significance of EMMPRIN expression in human tongue squamous cell carcinoma.


METHODS
Extracellular MMP inducer expression was examined immunohistochemically on paraffin-embedded tissue specimens from 68 patients with tongue squamous cell carcinoma and who underwent radical surgeries from 1996 to 2006. The 68 patients were followed up from 1 to 119 months, with an average of 27.5 months. Nonparametric tests were performed for the comparison of EMMPRIN expression between two independent groups. Survival analysis was performed to find the prognostic significance of EMMPRIN expression.


RESULTS
We found that EMMPRIN expression in tongue squamous cell carcinoma is significantly higher than that in non-cancerous epithelium adjacent to carcinoma of tongue. In addition, EMMPRIN expression is significantly associated with tumor diameter and clinical stage in the samples, but did not correlate with gender, age, tumor metastasis, and pathological grade. Finally, survival analysis indicates that EMMPRIN overexpression correlates significantly with poor overall survival in the patient cohort.


CONCLUSIONS
These results suggest that EMMPRIN might represent an attractive target for immunotherapeutic approaches in a subgroup of patients with tongue squamous cell carcinoma.
Huang
Zhiquan
Z
Department of Oral and Maxillfacial Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangdong, China.
Huang
Hongzhang
H
Li
Haigang
H
Chen
Weiliang
W
Pan
Chaobin
C
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D051926:Basigin / Q000032:analysis*; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000473:pathology* / Q000556:secondary / Q000601:surgery; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004848:Epithelium / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005927:Glossectomy; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate; D014059:Tongue / Q000473:pathology; D014062:Tongue Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery
C497886:BSG protein, human; D051926:Basigin