RESUMO
Abstract Oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMD) are associated with an increased risk of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). OSCC has an aggressive profile and is the most prevalent among different head and neck malignancies. Most OSCC patients are diagnosed with advanced stage tumors and have a poor prognosis. Cancer cells are able to reprogram their metabolism, even in the presence of oxygen, enhancing the conversion of glucose to lactate via the glycolytic pathway, a phenomenon mainly regulated by hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) signaling. Thus, several glycometabolism-related biomarkers are upregulated. Objectives This study aimed to evaluate the immunoexpression of the HIF targets GLUT1, GLUT3, HK2, PFKL, PKM2, pPDH, LDHA, MCT4, and CAIX in OPMD and OSCC samples, in order to identify potential correlations between biomarkers' immunoexpression, clinicopathological features, and prognostic parameters. Methodology OSCC and OPMD samples from 21 and 34 patients (respectively) were retrospectively collected and stained for the different biomarkers by immunohistochemistry. Results CAIX and MCT4 expressions were significantly higher in OSCC samples when compared with OPMD samples, while the rest were also expressed by OPMD. GLUT3 and PKM2 alone, and the concomitant expression of more than four glycometabolism-related biomarkers were significantly correlated with the presence of dysplasia in OPMD. When considering OSCC cases, a trend toward increased expression of biomarkers and poor clinicopathological features was observed, and the differences regarding HK2, PFKL, LDHA and MCT4 expression were significant. Moreover, HK2 and CAIX were correlated with low survival rates. GLUT1 and GLUT3 were significantly associated with poor outcome when their expression was observed in the hypoxic region of malignant lesions. Conclusion OPMD and OSCC cells overexpress glycolysis-related proteins, which is associated with aggressive features and poor patient outcome. Further research is needed to deeply understand the glycolic phenotype in the process of oral carcinogenesis.
RESUMO
Background. The beta-2 adrenergic receptor is expressed by neoplastic cells and is correlated with a wide spectrum of tumor cell mechanisms including proliferation, apoptosis, angiogenesis, migration, and metastasis. Objectives. The present study aimed to analyze the expression of the beta-2 adrenergic receptor (ß2-AR) in tumor-free surgical margins of oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCC) and at the invasive front. Sixty-two patients diagnosed with OSCC, confirmed by biopsy, were selected for the study. The clinicopathological data and clinical follow-up were obtained from medical records and their association with ß2-AR expression was verified by the chi-square test or Fischer's exact test. To verify the correlation of ß2-AR expression in tumor-free surgical margins and at the invasive front of OSCCs, Pearson's correlation coefficient test was applied. Results. The expression of ß2-AR presented a statistically significant correlation between the tumor-free surgical margins and the invasive front of OSCC (r = 0.383; p = 0.002). The immunohistochemical distribution of ß2-AR at the invasive front of OSCC was also statistically significant associated with alcohol (p = 0.038), simultaneous alcohol and tobacco consumption (p = 0.010), and T stage (p = 0.014). Conclusions. The correlation of ß2-AR expression in OSCC and tumor-free surgical margins suggests a role of this receptor in tumor progression and its expression in normal oral epithelium seems to be constitutive