Immunohistochemical Study on the Expression of Laminin-5 in the Oral Cavity and Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma / 대한이비인후과학회지

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Laminins are extracellular matrix proteins localized mainly in basement membranes. Currently there are at least ten different laminin chains and 11 heterotrimetric laminin variants. Laminin-5 is a heterotrimeric basement membrane molecule (alpha3beta3gamma2). It serves as an important adhesion protein for epithelial cells and it also plays an important role in cell migration during tumor invasion and tissue remodeling. This study was designed to investigate the relationship between laminin-5 expression and clinicopathologic variables in oral cavity and oropharynx squamous cell carcinomas using immunohistochemistry. MATERIALS AND METHOD: The expression of the laminin-5 around tumor cells was determined in 32 oral cavity and oropharyngeal carcinomas by immunohistochmical staining with antibody against laminin-5gamma2 chain. RESULTS: Statistical analysis showed that the frequency of laminin-5gamma2 chain expression was correlated with the lymph node metastasis (p<0.05). The poor differentiation of tumor cells, the large tumor size, advanced overall stage and the deep tumor invasion showed high expression of laminin-5, although it was not significant statistically. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that overexpression of laminin-5 in oral cavity and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma might be a biomarker that can predict cervical lymph node metastasis.