title: Prognostic value of heparanase expression and cellular localization in oral cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Metastases formation depends on the ability of tumor cells to invade basement membranes in a process involving enzymes capable of degrading extracellular matrix components.
  
  
  METHODS
  We examined the expression of heparanase in oral carcinomas and correlated its staining extent, intensity, and cellular localization with patients' outcome.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) revealed over 4-fold increase in heparanase levels in oral carcinomas compared to adjacent normal tissue. Normal oral epithelium was found negative for heparanase, while all oral carcinomas stained positively for heparanase. Heparanase staining was associated with Ki67 staining, a measure of cell proliferation. Notably, whereas cytoplasmic localization of heparanase was associated with high-grade carcinomas, nuclear localization of the enzyme was found primarily in low-grade, well-differentiated tumors, and in all oral verrucous carcinomas.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Expression level and cellular localization of heparanase could serve as an important diagnostic marker in patients with oral cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Rambam Medical Center, Post Office Box 9602, Haifa, Israel.
authors.forename: Yoav
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Leiser
authors.forename: Imad
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Abu-El-Naaj
authors.forename: Edmond
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sabo
authors.forename: Sharon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Akrish
authors.forename: Neta
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ilan
authors.forename: Ofer
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Ben-Izhak
authors.forename: Micha
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Peled
authors.forename: Israel
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Vlodavsky
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000378:metabolism*; D001707:Biopsy, Needle; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D005966:Glucuronidase / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008297:Male; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011379:Prognosis; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D018570:Risk Assessment; D016019:Survival Analysis; D013997:Time Factors; D016610:Tissue Embedding; D000099175:Heparanase
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D005966:Glucuronidase; D000099175:Heparanase