Altered β-catenin expression related to cancer progression on actinic cheilitis and squamous cell carcinoma of the lip.
β-Catenin is a bifunctional protein related to cell adhesion and gene transcription when activated by Wnt pathway. Altered expression of β-catenin was related to loss of differentiation, more aggressive phenotype, increase of tumor invasion, and poor prognosis in a number of different cancers. Actinic cheilitis is caused by excessive exposure to ultraviolet radiation and has a high potential to suffer malignant transformation into squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the lip, the most frequent oral malignancy. Studies of oral cancer have shown the correlation of β-catenin expression and oral SCC prognosis, and loss of membrane expression may be considered as a potential marker for early tumor recurrence. Thirty-five cases of actinic cheilitis and 12 cases of SCC of the lip were select and submitted to immunohistochemical staining using β-catenin antibody. β-Catenin was positive on the membrane for all cases. Eighty-five percent of actinic cheilitis cases showed cytoplasmatic staining, and 22% nuclear staining. Eighty-three percent of SCC was positive for β-catenin, and none of them had nuclear staining. Cytoplasmatic and nuclear staining of β-catenin on studied cases point to pathway alterations. Results demonstrated that β-catenin expression is altered on epithelial dysplasia, and it is related to degree of alterations.
Department of Oral Pathology, School of Dentistry, University of São Paulo – USP, Brazil. julianals@usp.br
Juliana L
JL
Schussel
Décio Dos Santos
Ddos S
Pinto
Marília Trierveiler
MT
Martins
D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D002613:Cheilitis / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D003593:Cytoplasm / Q000378:metabolism; D018450:Disease Progression; D006801:Humans; D008048:Lip Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D051176:beta Catenin / Q000378:metabolism*
D015415:Biomarkers; D051176:beta Catenin