title: Claudin and p53 expression in vulvar lichen sclerosus and squamous-cell carcinoma.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Vulvar squamous-cell carcinoma (SCC) is a rare gynaecological cancer. Vulvar SCC has been shown to develop from vulvar intraepithelial neoplasias, which are related to lichen sclerosus (LS). Most studies to date have compared vulvar SCC with LS only morphologically, but no detailed molecular analysis has been performed. The objective was to compare claudin and p53 expression in these diseases and determine if there was any association with expression and vulvar SCC progression.
  
  
  METHODS
  Immunohistochemical analysis was performed in order to determine expression of p53 and claudin 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7 and 11 in human vulvar tissue samples from LS, SCC and control patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Claudin 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 were expressed comparably in the three groups. Claudin 7 and 11 expression was significantly decreased in LS and SCC samples compared with the control group. Expression of p53 was significantly increased in SCC and LS patient samples compared with the control group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Claudin 7 and 11 were not expressed in LS and SCC. However, there was no significant difference in expression of any of the claudins between the LS and SCC samples. Furthermore, p53 expression is the highest in SCC patients and lowest in the control group. However, expression of p53 did not vary between samples from isolated LS and LS associated SCC patients, suggesting that increased p53 expression is not the determining factor in the progression of LS lesions to SCC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynecology, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil. jcsadalla@gmail.com
authors.forename: José Carlos
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Sadalla
authors.forename: Sílvia Vanessa
authors.initials: SV
authors.lastname: Lourenço
authors.forename: Mirian Nacagami
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Sotto
authors.forename: Edmund Chada
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Baracat
authors.forename: Jesus Paula
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Carvalho
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001938:Brazil; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000473:pathology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D057167:Claudins / Q000032:analysis*; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D013997:Time Factors; D046888:Tissue Array Analysis; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 / Q000032:analysis*; D015854:Up-Regulation; D007724:Vulvar Lichen Sclerosus / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D014846:Vulvar Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D057167:Claudins; C495901:TP53 protein, human; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53