title: Immunohistochemical expression of E-cadherin and CD44v6 in squamous cell carcinomas of the lower lip and tongue.
abstract: This study analyzed the immunohistochemical expression of E-cadherin and CD44v6 in 15 squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) of lower lip and 15 SCCs of tongue in order to verify a possible association between these proteins and the anatomic location of the lesion, nodal metastasis and histological grading of malignancy. The pattern of expression and number of immunopositive cells were evaluated. The results were analyzed with the Fisher's exact test, Mann-Whitney test and Spearman's Correlation Coefficient (r). using the SPSS software 10.0 for Windows. Statistical significance was set at 5% determined for a p-value<0.05 for all tests. There was no significant difference (p>0.05) in the pattern of expression and number of immunopositive cells for E-cadherin and CD44v6, regarding the anatomical location and nodal metastasis. For the histological grading, low score SCCs showed higher immunopositivity for E-cadherin and CD44v6, both for the pattern of expression and number of immunopositive cells (p<0.05). There was a negative correlation between the total score of malignancy and the pattern of expression and number of immunopositive cells for E-cadherin and CD44v6 (p<0.05). In conclusion, SCCs of the lower lip and tongue did not reveal significant differences in the expression of E-cadherin and CD44v6. The expression of these adhesion molecules revealed association only with tumor histological grading of malignancy. Therefore, these results suggest that E-cadherin and CD44v6 may not help elucidating the differences between the biological behavior of SCCs of the lower lip and tongue.
authors.affiliation: Dental School, Federal University of Maranhão, São Luís, MA, Brazil.
authors.forename: Maria Carmen Fontoura Nogueira da
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Cruz
authors.forename: Antonio Luiz Amaral
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Pereira
authors.forename: Fernanda Ferreira
authors.initials: FF
authors.lastname: Lopes
authors.forename: Cassiano Francisco Weege
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Nonaka
authors.forename: Raimunda Ribeiro da
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.forename: Roseana de Almeida
authors.initials: Rde A
authors.lastname: Freitas
authors.forename: Lélia Batista de
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Souza
authors.forename: Leão Pereira
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: Pinto
mesh_terms: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D015820:Cadherins / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D018960:Hyaluronan Receptors / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008048:Lip Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D014062:Tongue Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; C112697:CD44v6 antigen; D015820:Cadherins; D018960:Hyaluronan Receptors