The Correlations of E-Cadherin Catenin Complex(alpha, beta, gamma, p120cat) Expressions and Clinicopathological Findings in Tongue Cancer / 대한이비인후과학회지

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: E-cadherin and catenins (alpha, beta, gamma, p120cat) are important epithelial adhesion molecules in normal epithelial cells. Loss of E-cadherin-catenin adhesion is an important step in the progression of epithelial cancers such as tongue cancer. E-cadherin and catenins expression in carcinoma of human tongue was evaluated in relation to their clinicopathological features and prognostic values. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: Thirty-nine specimens of tongue squamous cell carcinoma were examined in this study. These patients were all treated by primary surgery without prior radiotherapy or chemotherapy. The specimens of formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded tumor tissues were investigated by immunohistochemical analysis using E-cadherin and catenin (alpha, beta, gamma, p120cat) monoclonal antibodies. RESULTS: The expressions of E-cadherin, alpha-catenin, beta-catenin, gamma-catenin and p120cat in cell membranes were reduced or absent in 71.8%, 74.4%, 76.9%, 59.0% and 82.1% of the tumors examined, respectively. The reduced expressions of alpha-catenin and gamma-catenin in the cell membranes was cor-related with tumore differentiation (p=0.018, p=0.004, respectively). There were significant correlations between E-cadherin and expressions of the four cantenins in the cell membranes of tongue cancer. There were no correlations between beta-catenin and p120cat expression in the cytoplasm, cell nucleus and clinicopathological features. There was significant correlation between E-cadherin expression and Kaplan-Meier survival curves. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that E-cadherin and catenins (alpha, beta, gamma, p120cat) can be used as prognostic markers of human tongue squamous cell carninoma. The result of beta-catenin and p120cat absence in the nucleus suggests that Wnt/Wingless signaling or Kaiso transcription did not occur in the human tongue squamous cell carcinoma.

Treatment of Obstructed Lacrimal Apparatus by Bowman's Probe Guided Lacrimal Bypass Surgery

The purpose of this study is to evaluate clinical utility of lacrimal bypass surgery using Bowman's probe In treatment of obstruction of the lacrimal apparatus. The lacrimal bone was penetrated between lacrimal sac and nasal mucosa through the incised caruncle with Bowman #0 probe. A Jones tube was Introduced over the probe into the nasal cavity and fixed at caruncle with non-absorbable suture material. Epiphora was completely resolved in 120 (96.8%) of 124 eyes for mean follow-up of 17.1 months. Only 4 eyes failed to reach resolution of epiphora. Postoperative complications were as follows. coverage of the tube with conjunctiva in 10 eyes (8.1%), recurrent migration of tube to the nasal cavity 7 eyes(5.6%), persistent chronic dacryocystitis 7 eyes(5.6%), nasal mucosal granulation 6 eyes(4.8%), septal touch by tube 6 eyes(4.8%), conjunctival granulation 3 eyes (2.4%), and tube extrusion to the conjunctiva 2 eyes (1.6%). However no clinically significant complication developed postoperatively. The above procedure has many advantage such as no operations scar, short operation time, no need of expensive instruments and simple procedure. Therefore, this procedure seems to be of value in treatment of obstruction of lacrimal apparatus.