Phospholipase C-γ1 expression correlated with cancer progression of potentially malignant oral lesions.
BACKGROUND
Phospholipase C-γ1 (PLCγ1) is required for cellular migration during tumor progression and invasion of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) cells. The objective of the current study was to determine immunoexpression pattern of PLCγ1 in oral potentially malignant lesions (OPLs) and evaluate PLCγ1 usefulness as a biomarker for predicting clinical behavior in the carcinogenesis of OPL.


METHODS
In a retrospective follow-up study, the expression pattern of PLCγ1 protein was determined using immunohistochemistry in samples from 68 patients, including untransformed cases (n = 38) and malignant-transformed cases (n = 30). The corresponding post-malignant lesions (OSCCs) were also performed.


RESULTS
We observed that elevated expression of PLCγ1 in 40 of 68 (59%) general OPLs and 23 of 30 (77%) OSCCs compared with that in normal oral mucosa. Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed that patients with PLCγ1 positivity had a significantly higher incidence of OSCC than those with PLCγ1 negativity. Cox regression analysis revealed that PLCγ1 expression patterns were significantly associated with increased risk of malignant progression. In addition, the correlation between PLCγ1 expression in pre-malignant OPL and that in post-malignant OSCC was significant (P = 0.004).


CONCLUSIONS
These data indicate that PLCγ1 expression in OPL correlated with oral cancer progression, and PLCγ1 may serve as a useful marker for the identification of high-risk OPL into OSCC.
Shanghai Key Laboratory of Stomatology, Department of Oral Mucosal Diseases, Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
Li-Wei
LW
Ma
Zeng-Tong
ZT
Zhou
Qing-Bo
QB
He
Wei-Wen
WW
Jiang
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000378:metabolism; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002471:Cell Transformation, Neoplastic / Q000378:metabolism*; D066246:ErbB Receptors / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness / Q000473:pathology*; D051966:Phospholipase C gamma / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D011230:Precancerous Conditions / Q000378:metabolism; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D015398:Signal Transduction; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D066246:ErbB Receptors; D051966:Phospholipase C gamma