VIMENTIN EXPRESSION AND ITS CORRELATION WITH LYMPH NODE METASTASIS IN ORAL SQUAMOUS CELL CARCINOMA

Squamous cell carcinoma and Adenocarcinoma are common subtypes of carcinoma of oral cavity. More than six lakh cases of cancers of head and neck are being diagnosed globally every year and worldwide, it’s the 6th most common cancer. Head and Neck cancers mostly take origin from epithelial lining of oral cavity, oropharynx, larynx and hypopharynx and 90% of them morphologically is predominantly squamous cell carcinoma. OSCC has a poor prognosis, the reason being metastasis to lymph nodes and its recurrence. So, the identification of specific markers with metastasis to lymph nodes should be done for early and specific diagnosis. Normal and neoplastic mesenchymal cells contain vimentin as major protein constituent of intermediate filaments. Vimentin does not show expression usually in non-neoplastic epithelial cells, but shows expression in mesenchymal cells. Vimentin as a marker of epithelial to mesenchymal transitionis used in diagnosing lymph node metastasis in cases of OSCC.

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Evaluation of SHP1-P2 methylation as a biomarker of lymph node metastasis in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck

Asian Biomedicine ◽

10.1515/abm-2019-0009 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 12 (3) ◽

pp. 111-116

Author(s):

Nakarin Kitkumthorn ◽

Somboon Keelawat ◽

Jutamas Wongphoom ◽

Prakasit Rattanatanyong ◽

Apiwat Mutirangura

Keyword(s):

Squamous Cell Carcinoma ◽

Lymph Node ◽

Lymph Node Metastasis ◽

Lymph Nodes ◽

Cell Carcinoma ◽

Head And Neck ◽

Tumor Cells ◽

Squamous Cell ◽

Lymphoid Tissues ◽

Node Metastasis

AbstractBackgroundHypermethylation of Src homology region 2 domain-containing protein-tyrosine phosphatase 1 promoter 2 (SHP1-P2) has been proven as an epithelial-specific marker. This marker has been used for the detection of lymph node metastasis in patients with lung cancer or colon cancer.ObjectivesTo investigate SHP1-P2 methylation in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (HNSCC) and determine its potential for micrometastasis detection in the lymph nodes of patients with HNSCC.MethodsSHP1-P2 methylation levels were analyzed by combined methylation-specific primer TaqMan real-time PCR in 5 sample groups: normal tonsils (n = 10), microdissected squamous cell carcinoma epithelia (n = 9), nonmetastatic head and neck cancer lymph nodes (LN N0, n = 15), metastatic HNSCC histologically negative for tumor cells (LN–, n = 18), and matched cases histologically positive for tumor cells (LN+, n = 18).ResultsSHP1-P2 methylation of 10.27 ± 4.05% was found in normal tonsils as a lymphoid tissue baseline, whereas it was 61.31 ± 17.00% in microdissected cancer cell controls. In the 3 lymph node groups, the SHP1-P2 methylation levels were 9.99 ± 6.61% for LN N0, 14.49 ± 10.03% for LN- Nx, and 41.01 ± 24.51% for LN+ Nx. The methylation levels for LN- Nx and LN+ Nx were significantly different (P= 0.0002). Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis of SHP1-P2 methylation demonstrated an area under the curve of 0.637 in distinguishing LN N0 from LN– Nx.ConclusionsSHP1-P2 methylation was high in HNSCC, and low in lymphoid tissues. This methylation difference is concordant with lymph node metastasis.

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