Expression and importance of zinc-finger transcription factor Slug in adenoid cystic carcinoma of salivary gland.
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.
Tang
Yaling
Y
State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases, Sichuan University, No. 14 Sec. 3 Renminnan Road, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
Liang
Xinhua
X
Zhu
Guiquan
G
Zheng
Min
M
Yang
Jing
J
Chen
Yu
Y
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*
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; C000604407:SNAI1 protein, human; D000071250:Snail Family Transcription Factors; D014157:Transcription Factors