title: CD44 expression is related to poor prognosis of hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma.
abstract: CONCLUSIONS
  CD44 expression in hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) is closely associated with poor prognosis for patients. CD44 may serve as a prognostic marker for hypopharyngeal SCCs.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  CD44, an adhesion molecule binding to extracellular matrix, is believed to participate in the progression of malignancies. To clarify the role of CD44 in the progression of hypopharyngeal SCCs, we examined CD44 expression in relation to clinical parameters in hypopharyngeal SCCs.
  
  
  METHODS
  Biopsy specimens of hypopharyngeal SCCs were collected from 40 untreated patients, and their CD44 expression was examined immunohistochemically. Hypopharyngeal SCCs were classified into two groups: CD44-low SCCs comprising < 50% CD44-positive tumor cells and CD44-high SCCs comprising ≥ 50% CD44-positive tumor cells. The relation between CD44 expression and various parameters (clinical T and N stages, distant metastasis, and pathological T and N stages) was analyzed by Fisher's exact test. The relation between CD44 expression and the 5-year disease-free survival (DFS) rate was also analyzed by log rank test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The CD44 expression in hypopharyngeal SCCs was related to pathological N stage, but not to clinical T and N stages and pathological T stage, of the patients. Distant metastasis during the follow-up occurred more frequently in patients with CD44-high SCCs than those with CD44-low SCCs. The 5-year DFS was significantly lower in the former than in the latter.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Hyogo College of Medicine, Nishinomiya, Hyogo, Japan.
authors.forename: Nobuhiro
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Uwa
authors.forename: Tatsuki R
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Kataoka
authors.forename: Ikuko
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Torii
authors.forename: Ayuko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sato
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nishigami
authors.forename: Misa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Song
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Daimon
authors.forename: Nobuo
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Saeki
authors.forename: Kousuke
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sagawa
authors.forename: Takeshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mouri
authors.forename: Tomonori
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Terada
authors.forename: Masafumi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sakagami
authors.forename: Tohru
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tsujimura
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D018960:Hyaluronan Receptors / Q000378:metabolism*; D007012:Hypopharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D015996:Survival Rate
chemical_list: C497483:CD44 protein, human; D018960:Hyaluronan Receptors