title: Clinical significance of galectin-7 in vulvar squamous cell carcinoma.
abstract: The present study reports the role of galectin-7 (Gal-7) expression in vulvar squamous cell carcinoma (VSCC) and its correlation with clinicopathological variables. Gal-7 expression was immunohistochemically detected in the paraffin-embedded sections of 20 normal vulvar biopsy samples and 50 VSCC specimens. Expression was also detected in 10 normal vulvar biopsy samples and 10 VSCC specimens by western blotting. In addition, the methylation status of the promoter of the Gal-7 gene was determined in 30 VSCC specimens and 20 samples of normal vulvar tissue by methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction. Gal-7 expression was found to be significantly downregulated in the VSCC tissues compared with the normal vulvar tissues (P<0.05). Downregulation of Gal-7 was correlated with advanced clinical stage, poor tumor differentiation and regional lymph node metastasis (P<0.05). Furthermore, methylation of the Gal-7 gene promoter was significantly reduced in the vulvar normal tissues compared with the VSCC tissues (P=0.023), while increased Gal-7 promoter methylation was correlated with advanced clinical stage, poor tumor differentiation and regional lymph node metastasis (P<0.05). There was no association between patient age and Gal-7 promoter methylation. Together, these results suggested that Gal-7 has a negative impact in patients with VSCC, with malignant potential correlating with Gal-7 promoter methylation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning 110001, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning 110001, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Ruoyang
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tian
authors.affiliation: Central Laboratory, First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning 110001, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Shuang
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning 110001, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Y I
authors.initials: YI
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Central Laboratory, First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning 110001, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Yang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning 110001, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Central Laboratory, First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning 110001, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Qiao
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning 110001, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wu
keywords: galectin-7; immunohistochemistry; methylation; vulvar squamous cell carcinoma; western blotting