title: Homotypic Interaction of Stabilin-2 Plays a Critical Role in Lymph Node Metastasis of Tongue Cancer.
abstract: Lymph node (LN) metastasis of solid types of tumors has important clinical significance and it is therefore critical to identify molecular biomarkers that would enable the selection of patients with LN metastases.
  
  
  
  We evaluated the expression of stabilin-2 in primary oral tongue tumors and metastatic LNs using immunohistochemical staining. The correlation between risk factors and nodal metastasis was assessed and disease-free survival was analyzed.
  
  
  
  Stabilin-2 expression remained a significant predictor of LN metastasis and the factor affecting recurrence in tongue cancer. Most importantly, all metastatic tumors of tongue, lung, stomach and colon cancers stained positive for stabilin-2 and stabilin-2 was expressed strongly in the sinusoidal endothelial cell of metastatic LNs.
  
  
  
  Stabilin-2 can play a critical role in the first entrapping step of LN metastasis through homotypic interaction with the lymphatic endothelium and appears to be a tumor biomarker predicting for LN metastasis in patients with solid tumors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Ulsan University Hospital, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Ulsan, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Myung Woul
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Han
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Ulsan University Hospital, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Ulsan, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Jong Cheol
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Dongguk University, Gyeongju, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Seung-Yoon
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Ulsan University Hospital, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Ulsan, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Young Min
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Kyung-Ja
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Seong Who
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Myungjin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Soon Yuhl
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Nam
authors.affiliation: Korea University-Korea Institute of Science and Technology School, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: In-San
authors.initials: IS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea sykim2@amc.seoul.kr.
authors.forename: Sang Yoon
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015816:Cell Adhesion Molecules, Neuronal / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014062:Tongue Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D015816:Cell Adhesion Molecules, Neuronal; C449927:STAB2 protein, human
keywords: Stabilin-2; lymph node metastasis; lymphatic endothelial cells; tongue cancer; tumor biomarker