Correlation between Skp2 expression and nodal metastasis in stage I and II oral squamous cell carcinomas.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to investigate the role of S-phase kinase associated protein (Skp2) in the development of nodal metastasis and to assess its influence on prognosis in stage I and II oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCCs).


METHODS
Seventy-one patients affected by OSCC (stage I-II) were observed in the period ranging from March 2003 to December 2006. The research was performed using immunohistochemical and histopathological analysis.


RESULTS
The overall survival rate was 89.6% at 3 years, 87% at 5 years and 80.7% at 10 years. Patients with vascular or perineural invasion showed no statistically significant survival difference when compared with the ones with no invasion. The tumour depth of invasion did not prove to be related to the metastatic potential. Nine of the seventeen patients with Skp2 positive nuclei (≥20%) developed nodal metastasis. Conversely, only 6 of the 54 patients with a nuclear positivity lower than 20% developed a laterocervical metastasis (P=0.001). When comparing survival curves of Skp≥20% and Skp2<20% OSCCs, no significant P value emerged from the statistical analysis.


CONCLUSIONS
This study is the first to report an important correlation between an Skp2 expression lower than 20% and the capability of the tumour not to develop nodal laterocervical metastases (P=0.001).
Tosco
P
P
Division of Maxillo-Facial Surgery, Department of Clinical Physiopathology, S. Giovanni Battista Hospital, University of Turin, Torino, Italy. tosco.paolo@gmail.com
La Terra Maggiore
G M
GM
Forni
P
P
Berrone
S
S
Chiusa
L
L
Garzino-Demo
P
P
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000378:metabolism*; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D044786:S-Phase Kinase-Associated Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D055815:Young Adult
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D044786:S-Phase Kinase-Associated Proteins