title: CD151 expression is frequent but unrelated to clinical outcome in head and neck cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  CD151 is a plasma membrane protein belonging to the tetraspanin family. CD151 represents a putative therapeutic target and has been suggested as a prognostic marker in several cancer types. The present study aims to investigate the prognostic relevance of immunohistochemical CD151 expression in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).
  
  
  METHODS
  Tissue microarray (TMA) sections containing samples from 667 cancers of oral cavity, oro- and hypopharynx and larynx, for which follow-up data were available, were analyzed for CD151 expression by immunohistochemistry.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Membranous CD151 immunostaining was recorded in 269 (60.3 %) of 446 analyzable cases. Staining was considered weak in 129 (28.9 %), moderate in 98 (22.0 %), and strong in 42 (9.4 %) of cancers. CD151 expression was unrelated to histological grade, tumor stage, nodal status, or surgical margin. There was a tendency towards a somewhat lower prevalence of CD151 expression in tumors of the oral cavity (52.9 % positive) as compared to cancers of the oro-hypopharynx (62.1 %) and larynx (63.3 %; p = 0.0100). CD151 expression had no impact on patient survival.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In summary, immunohistochemical analysis of CD151 lacks prognostic utility in HNSCC. The high prevalence of CD151 expression in HNSCC emphasizes its putative relevance as a therapeutic target for further development of anti-CD151 drugs.
authors.affiliation: Center for Clinical Neurosciences, Department of Voice, Speech and Hearing Disorders, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Julie C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Nienstedt
authors.affiliation: Center for Clinical Neurosciences, Oral & Maxillofacial surgery, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gröbe
authors.affiliation: Institute of Pathology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistrasse 52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lebok
authors.affiliation: Institute of Pathology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistrasse 52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Franziska
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Büscheck
authors.affiliation: Institute of Pathology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistrasse 52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Till
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Clauditz
authors.affiliation: Institute of Pathology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistrasse 52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany. r.simon@uke.de.
authors.forename: Ronald
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Simon
authors.affiliation: Institute of Pathology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistrasse 52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany.|Center for Surgical Sciences, Department of General, Visceral and Thoracic Surgery, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Asmus
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Heumann
authors.affiliation: Institute of Pathology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistrasse 52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Guido
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sauter
authors.affiliation: Center for Surgical Sciences, Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Moebius
authors.affiliation: Center for Clinical Neurosciences, Department of Otolaryngology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Adrian
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Münscher
authors.affiliation: Center for Clinical Neurosciences, Department of Otolaryngology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Rainald
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Knecht
authors.affiliation: Center for Surgical Sciences, Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Blessmann
authors.affiliation: Center for Clinical Neurosciences, Oral & Maxillofacial surgery, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Max
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Heiland
authors.affiliation: Center for Clinical Neurosciences, Department of Voice, Speech and Hearing Disorders, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Christina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pflug
mesh_terms: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D060787:Neoplasm Grading; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D060185:Tetraspanin 24 / Q000378:metabolism*; D046888:Tissue Array Analysis
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; C554715:CD151 protein, human; D060185:Tetraspanin 24
keywords: CD151; Head and neck cancer; Immunohistochemistry; Prognosis