title: [Expression of CD44 variant isoforms in bronchial precancerous lesions.].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To explore the role of CD44 variant isoforms (CD44v) expression on oncogenesis of squamous cell carcinoma of the lung.
  
  
  METHODS
  CD44v expression was detected by immunohistochemical analysis in cancer tissues and precancerous lesion samples of 34 patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the lung and its expression time and frequency were studied during carcinogenesis of lung cancer.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Membrane CD44v were present in 0 of 12 normal mucosae adjacent to the cancers , 2 of 14 squamous metaplasias , 3 of 13 mild dysplasias , 5 of 17 moderate dysplasias , 12 of 21 severe dysplasias , 5 of 9 carcinomas in situ , and 21 of 34 invasive tumors. With the progress of bronchial lesions from mild dysplasia to severe dysplasia and to carcinoma in situ and invasive carcinoma , the positive rate of CD44v expression increased gradually.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The research indicates that CD44v expression is likely to be an usable marker to judge the probability of squamous cell carcinoma of the lung and that routine assessment of CD44v expression may be valuable for the early diagnosis of squamous cell carcinoma of the lung.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology , 202nd Hospital of PLA , Shenyang , Liaoning , 110003, P.R.China.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: He