Journal of Clinical Pathology 2007;60:267-272
ORIGINAL ARTICLE
High stromal versican expression predicts unfavourable outcome in oral squamous cell carcinoma
1 OtorhinolaryngologyHead and Neck Surgery, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Kuopio and Kuopio University Hospital, Kuopio, Finland
2 Pathology and Forensic Medicine, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Kuopio and Kuopio University Hospital, Kuopio, Finland
3 Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Kuopio and Kuopio University Hospital, Kuopio, Finland
Correspondence to:
Correspondence to:
Dr V-M Kosma
Pathology and Forensic Medicine, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Kuopio, PO Box 1627, 70211 Kuopio, Finland; velimatti.kosma{at}uku.fi
Background: Versican, an extracellular matrix proteoglycan, has been noted to be expressed in several malignant tumours and has been suggested to play an important role in cancer development and tumour growth.
Aims: To investigate whether the versican expression level in the peritumoural stromal tissue of primary oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) predicts relapse-free or disease-specific survival. Also, to study the associations between versican expression and several other clinicopathological variables, as well as tumour cell proliferation.
Methods: Immunohistochemistry was used to study the expression of versican and tumour cell proliferative activity in 139 OSCCs. All pertinent clinical data were collected retrospectively from the hospital records.
Results: In this cohort, versican expression did not correlate with the clinicopathological factors or tumour cell proliferation. In univariate analyses, higher risk for disease recurrence was associated with higher stromal versican expression score (p = 0.02), positive neck node status (p = 0.02), lower Karnofsky performance status (p = 0.03) and higher tumour cell proliferation index (p = 0.04). Increased disease-specific risk of death was associated with high stromal versican expression score (p = 0.005) higher T class (p = 0.002), positive neck node status (p<0.001), higher stage (p<0.001), poorer histological differentiation (p = 0.005), worse general condition of the patient (p = 0.049) and increased tumour cell proliferative index (p = 0.02). In multivariate disease-specific survival analysis, high stromal versican expression score (p = 0.048), poorer histological differentiation (p = 0.047) and higher stage (p = 0.002) independently predicted poorer disease outcome.
Conclusions: In this cohort, increased stromal versican expression correlated with both increased risk for disease recurrence and shortened survival. High stromal versican expression may thus be considered an independent and adverse prognostic marker in OSCC.
Abbreviations: DFS, disease-free survival; DSS, disease-specific survival; ECM, extracellular matrix; OSCC, oral squamous cell carcinoma; PBS, phosphate-buffered saline
![]()
CiteULike
Complore
Connotea
Del.icio.us
Digg
Reddit
Technorati What's this?
This article has been cited by other articles:
-
Soltermann, A., Tischler, V., Arbogast, S., Braun, J., Probst-Hensch, N., Weder, W., Moch, H., Kristiansen, G.
(2008). Prognostic Significance of Epithelial-Mesenchymal and Mesenchymal-Epithelial Transition Protein Expression in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer. Clin. Cancer Res.
14: 7430-7437
[Abstract] [Full Text]
Register for free content
The full back archive is now available for all BMJ Journals. Institutional subscribers may access the entire archive as part of their subscription. Personal subscribers will also have access to all content when logged in. Non-subscribers who register have free access to all articles published before 2006 right back to volume 1 issue 1. Register here to access the free archive of all BMJ Journals.
Don't forget to sign up for content alerts so you keep up to date with all the articles as they are published.
