title: Phosphorylated mammalian target of rapamycin is associated with an adverse outcome in oral squamous cell carcinoma.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the expression of phosphorylated mammalian target of rapamycin (p-mTOR) and phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome TEN (PTEN) in oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCCs) and relate them with clinicopathologic characteristics and outcome.
  
  
  METHODS
  We analyzed p-mTOR and PTEN protein expression by immunohistochemistry in 72 OSCCs. Multivariate analysis was conducted to examine their role in survival.
  
  
  RESULTS
  p-mTOR expression was observed in 46 (63.9%) cancers and PTEN expression was absent in 22 (30.6%). An adverse independent prognostic value for high p-mTOR expression was found (P = .043) as well as for advanced tumor stage (P = .010) in patients' overall survival (OS). For disease-free survival (DFS), only advanced tumor stage (P = .001) presented an adverse independent prognostic value.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The effect of p-mTOR in OS of OSCC suggests that this marker may serve as a reliable biological marker to identify high-risk subgroups and as a guide to therapy. Furthermore, the high expression of p-mTOR suggests that this protein may be a promising therapeutic target in OSCC.
authors.affiliation: Medicine and Oral Surgery Department, Dental Sciences Group - Health Sciences Research Centre, Higher Institute of Health Sciences (ISCSN), CESPU, Paredes, Portugal. lmonteiro.md@gmail.com
authors.forename: Luís Silva
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Monteiro
authors.forename: Maria Leonor
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Delgado
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ricardo
authors.forename: Fernanda
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Garcez
authors.forename: Barbas
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: do Amaral
authors.forename: Saman
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Warnakulasuriya
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lopes
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000473:pathology* / Q000556:secondary / Q000601:surgery; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D020360:Neoadjuvant Therapy; D060787:Neoplasm Grading; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000473:pathology; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D051059:PTEN Phosphohydrolase / Q000032:analysis*; D010766:Phosphorylation; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate; D058570:TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000032:analysis*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D025521:Tumor Suppressor Proteins / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D025521:Tumor Suppressor Proteins; C546842:MTOR protein, human; D058570:TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases; D051059:PTEN Phosphohydrolase; C494929:PTEN protein, human