title: Implications of Differential Expression of β-Catenin in Oral Carcinoma.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Alterations of β-catenin can promote cancer progression, but there has been little analysis of this protein in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). The objective of this study was to investigate the role of β-catenin in OSCC development.
  
  
  METHODS
  Expression of β-catenin and Ki-67 from 92 OSCC was immunohistochemically studied in tissues close to the tumor invasion point and, in 37 cases, in tissues distant from the invasion point.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Loss of membranous β-catenin expression was observed in 77.2% of "close" samples and 94.4% of "distant" samples. Nuclear β-catenin expression was detected in 35.9% of adjacent samples and 44.4% of "distant" samples. Nuclear β-catenin expression in ≥10% of cells was observed in 6.6% of "close" samples and 25% of "distant" samples. No relationship was found between β-catenin expression and cell proliferation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  β-Catenin plays a major oncogenic role in OSCC, principally through increase in invasiveness due to loss of its membranous expression.
authors.affiliation: School of Dentistry, Granada Biomedicine Institute, University of Granada, Granada, Spain magonzal@ugr.es.
authors.forename: Miguel Angel Gonzalez
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Moles
authors.affiliation: School of Dentistry, Granada Biomedicine Institute, University of Granada, Granada, Spain.
authors.forename: José Antonio Gil
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Montoya
authors.affiliation: Jaen Hospital, Pathology Department, Jaen, Spain.
authors.forename: Maria Dolores Martín
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Salvago
authors.affiliation: Pathology Department, Granada Biomedicine Institute, San Cecilio Hospital, Granada, Spain.
authors.forename: Isabel Ruiz
authors.initials: IR
authors.lastname: Ávila
authors.affiliation: School of Dentistry, Granada Biomedicine Institute, University of Granada, Granada, Spain.
authors.forename: Juan José Plaza
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Campillo
authors.affiliation: School of Dentistry, Granada Biomedicine Institute, University of Granada, Granada, Spain.
authors.forename: Manuel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bravo
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D019394:Ki-67 Antigen / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D051176:beta Catenin / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D019394:Ki-67 Antigen; D051176:beta Catenin
keywords: Ki-67; WNT/canonical pathway; immunohistochemistry; oral cancer; β-Catenin