title: Expression and importance of zinc-finger transcription factor Slug in adenoid cystic carcinoma of salivary gland.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  It has been reported that zinc-finger transcription factor Slug plays a critical role in tumor proliferation and differentiation, relapse, invasion, metastasis, and decreased survival. However, there is little information on the expression and role of Slug in salivary adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC).
  
  
  METHODS
  Demographic variables and primary tumor site, dates of diagnoses, perineural invasion, local regional recurrence, and distant metastasis of 121 cases of salivary ACC treated at the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University between 1996 and 2005 were retrieved. The Slug expression of all these cases was examined by immunohistochemical methods. The association between Slug expression and clinicopathological variables was analyzed using Chi-squared test, and the prognostic factors were examined by univariate and multivariate analyses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Our data demonstrated that the positive expression of Slug was observed in 71.90% (87/121) of cases. Slug expression was significantly associated with tumor site, TNM stage, histological pattern, perineural invasion, local regional recurrence and distant metastasis of patients with ACC (P<0.05). And Slug expression, local regional recurrence and distant metastasis were independent and significant prognostic factors in all patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It is proposed that Slug may play an important role in the invasion and metastasis of ACC, and that Slug had the potential for one of the strong invasion and metastasis indicators at presentation of ACC patients.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases, Sichuan University, No. 14 Sec. 3 Renminnan Road, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
authors.forename: Yaling
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: Xinhua
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.forename: Guiquan
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Min
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000378:metabolism*; D003528:Carcinoma, Adenoid Cystic / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D011379:Prognosis; D012468:Salivary Gland Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D000071250:Snail Family Transcription Factors; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism*; D016335:Zinc Fingers / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; C000604407:SNAI1 protein, human; D000071250:Snail Family Transcription Factors; D014157:Transcription Factors