title: Caspase expression in oral squamous cell carcinoma.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Apoptosis is a genetically programmed form of cell death, of which caspases are the central components.
  
  
  METHODS
  By tissue microarray of 229 cases of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), we analyzed the immunoexpression of caspases 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All proteins that we examined were expressed in primary OSCC samples. Caspases 8 and 9 were prominently expressed, and caspases 3, 6, 7, and 10 were occasionally expressed. Disease-free survival differed significantly between caspase 7 high-expressing and low-expressing patients, and our multivariate analysis suggested that expression of caspase 7 is an independent prognostic factor for patients with OSCC.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study suggests that caspases regulate the tumorigenesis of OSCC and that caspase 7 expression is a predictor of locoregional recurrence of OSCC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomic Pathology, Hospital A. C. Camargo, São Paulo, Brazil. claumcc@terra.com.br
authors.forename: Cláudia Malheiros
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Coutinho-Camillo
authors.forename: Silvia Vanessa
authors.initials: SV
authors.lastname: Lourenço
authors.forename: Ines Nobuko
authors.initials: IN
authors.lastname: Nishimoto
authors.forename: Luiz Paulo
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: Kowalski
authors.forename: Fernando Augusto
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Soares
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis*; D001707:Biopsy, Needle; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D020169:Caspases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D018450:Disease Progression; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008297:Male; D046228:Microarray Analysis / Q000379:methods; D008875:Middle Aged; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011379:Prognosis; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D012016:Reference Values; D016019:Survival Analysis; D016610:Tissue Embedding
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D020169:Caspases