RESUMO
OBJECTIVES: - Routine histopathological grading for salivary gland mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC) have failed to prognosticate these tumors, resulting in poor post-surgical outcomes. In developing countries, the lack of technologically advanced infrastructure curtails, efficient treatment modalities. This study aimed at determining if MUC4ß can characterize salivary gland MEC and serve as a practical and inexpensive method to prognosticate salivary gland MEC. MATERIALS AND METHODS: - Fifteen cases of archived paraffin embedded tissue blocks of mucoepidermoid carcinomas were reassessed for histopathological grading using Healey's system, modified by Batsakis and Luna and immunohistochemically evaluated for expression of MUC4ß. Statistical analysis (Kappa statistics and Spearman's rho correlation coefficient) was performed to assess inter-observer reproducibility and to correlate the expression of MUC4ß with the histopathological grade of the tumor. RESULTS: MUC4ß expression is related to tumor differentiation in an inverse relationship. Two cases of high grade MEC were the exception to this rule. CONCLUSION: Our study revealed that MUC4ß alone cannot serve as a reliable prognostic marker due to its divergent tumor suppressor and oncogenic pathway. The role of MUC4ß needs further evaluation and research so as to potentiate therapeutics depending upon its context dependent function, as a cancer marker or an oncogenic factor.
