title: [Vasculogenic mimicry in tongue squamous cell carcinoma].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the presence of vasculogenic mimicry (VM) in tongue squamous cell carcinoma and explore its clinical significance.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty-two surgical specimens of tongue squamous cell carcinoma were examined for the presence of VM using HE staining and double staining of CD34 and PAS.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 42 specimens, 18 (42.86%) showed the presence of VM. VM was not correlated with the patients' age or gender, but with lymph node metastasis and the grade of tumor differentiation. Compared with tumors without VM, the tumors with VM had a significantly higher rate of lymph node metastasis (P<0.05) and a lower grade of differentiation (P<0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  VM can be present in tongue squamous cell carcinoma, and the poorly differentiated tumors contain more VM, which is associated with a greater likeliness of lymph node metastasis and a poorer prognosis.
authors: Department of Stomatology, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510282, China. ken85222@hotmail.com
authors: Xiaogen
authors: X
authors: Zhang
authors: Chundong
authors: C
authors: Liu
authors: Luqiao
authors: L
authors: Luo
authors: Xiaohui
authors: X
authors: Cai
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000098:blood supply*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009389:Neovascularization, Pathologic; D014062:Tongue Neoplasms / Q000098:blood supply*