ABSTRACT
AIM: We evaluated the prognostic value of vasohibin-1 (VASH1) expression in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Immunohistochemistry for VASH1 and cluster of differentiation 34 (CD34) was performed on 61 head and neck squamous cell carcinoma specimens. The association between VASH1 expression in the tumour and clinical outcomes was analyzed statistically. RESULTS: VASH1 staining in normal tissue adjacent to cancerous tissue was negative, whereas it was positive in tumour blood vessels and AE1/AE3 and Ki67-positive tumour cells. Therefore, we examined the association between VASH1 expression in the tumour and clinical outcomes. Patients with high VASH1 expression in tumour had significantly shorter disease-free survival and more frequently had lymph node recurrence than those with low VASH1 expression. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that VASH1 expression is associated with tumour progression and may be useful as a prognostic marker of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.
Subject(s)
Carcinoma, Squamous Cell/diagnosis , Carcinoma, Squamous Cell/metabolism , Cell Cycle Proteins/metabolism , Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic , Head and Neck Neoplasms/diagnosis , Head and Neck Neoplasms/metabolism , Aged , Antigens, CD34/metabolism , Biomarkers, Tumor/metabolism , Disease-Free Survival , Female , Gene Expression Profiling , Humans , Lymphatic Metastasis , Male , Middle Aged , Neoplasm Recurrence, Local , Neovascularization, Pathologic , Prognosis , Treatment OutcomeABSTRACT
PURPOSE: The present study aimed to measure postsurgical swallowing function in patients 5 years after the surgical treatment of tongue carcinoma. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Using a retrospective cohort study design, the investigators enrolled postsurgical patients treated for tongue carcinomas in Hokkaido University Hospital. The primary outcome variable was oropharyngeal swallow efficiency (OPSE) determined by videofluoroscopic evaluation, and OPSE at follow-up was compared with that at discharge. Other variables included current nutritional status (body mass index, serum albumin), dietary intake, self-rating of current swallowing function, and occurrence of pneumonia. Statistical analysis used the paired t test and the Spearman rank correlation. RESULTS: Swallowing function was assessed in 20 patients (11 men and 9 women) who underwent the surgical treatment of tongue carcinomas; the median age was 70 years (range, 56 to 90 yrs). The mean OPSE values for liquid and paste at follow-up were 26.6 ± 21.2 and 21.9 ± 22.5, respectively. The mean values for the body mass index and serum albumin at presentation were 22.2 ± 3.4 kg/m(2) and 4.5 ± 0.3 g/dL, respectively. All patients had a full oral intake of foods, with a mean self-rated value of 6.4 ± 2.5, a value acceptable to the patients. Pneumonia requiring hospitalization did not occur in these patients. CONCLUSIONS: The long-term follow-up of patients after the surgical treatment of tongue carcinomas showed acceptable levels of oral function and nutritional status despite objective measurements of poor swallowing efficiency assessed using videofluoroscopy.
Subject(s)
Deglutition Disorders/etiology , Deglutition Disorders/physiopathology , Glossectomy/adverse effects , Tongue Neoplasms/surgery , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Cohort Studies , Diet , Female , Follow-Up Studies , Glossectomy/methods , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Nutritional Status , Photofluorography/methods , Recovery of Function , Retrospective Studies , Statistics, Nonparametric , Video RecordingABSTRACT
Pim-1 is a serine/threonine kinase as well as a proto-oncogene that induces T-cell lymphoma. Pim-1 induces cell cycle progression in cooperation with c-Myc and acts as an inhibitor of apoptotic cell death, actions that are involved in blood cell oncogenesis. However, little is known regarding the role of Pim-1 in oral carcinogenesis. We investigated Pim-1 expression in tongue squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and examined its clinicopathological features. Western blotting was performed in 6 oral SCC cell lines, with Pim-1 being detected in all 6 of the lines. Immunohistochemical detection of Pim-1 was carried out in 39 cases of tongue SCC and analyzed in terms of its associated clinicopathological features. Pim-1 was expressed in 17/39 cases of tongue carcinoma, and was significantly correlated with lymph node metastasis. The role of Pim-1 in cell motility was further examined in HSC3 cells using the GTP-binding assay for Rho family protein, the motility assay and siRNA treatment. Rac1 activation was observed, and cell motility was reduced when Pim-1 was knocked down by siRNA. These results indicate that Pim-1 is involved in the carcinogenesis of oral SCC and is correlated to metastasis, which is in part associated with the enhancement of cell motility.
