RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Cancer is a multifactorial disease composed of cells that show somatic mutations and epigenetic changes. The aim of this study was to investigate the expression of proteins involved in the development and maintenance of epithelia, cell cycle regulation, and apoptosis in human oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) tissue samples. METHODS: A tissue microarray containing 65 primary human OSCC specimens was immunolabeled for bcl-2, survivin, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), p21, p53, p63, and cleaved caspase-3. RESULTS: Samples were scored for percentage of positively stained tumor cells and staining intensity. A total immunostaining score was also calculated, using the product of percentage and intensity scores. All specimens showed high scores, > 75%, for p63 and survivin, and 75.4% of the specimens also presented high EGFR expression. All cases showed p53-positive cells. p21 showed a diffuse staining pattern. The percentage of cells positive for cleaved caspase-3 and bcl-2 was low. CONCLUSIONS: The high frequency of tumor cells expressing p63 and survivin highlights the role of these proteins in the malignant transformation of oral epithelium. Collectively, our results suggest that p63 and survivin may constitute attractive targets for cancer therapy in patients with OSCC.
Assuntos
Carcinoma de Células Escamosas/imunologia , Carcinoma de Células Escamosas/metabolismo , Proteínas Inibidoras de Apoptose/biossíntese , Proteínas de Membrana/biossíntese , Neoplasias Bucais/imunologia , Neoplasias Bucais/metabolismo , Idoso , Idoso de 80 Anos ou mais , Proteínas Reguladoras de Apoptose , Feminino , Humanos , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , SurvivinaRESUMO
OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the proliferation activity by means of the quantification of the argyrophilic nucleolar organizer regions (AgNORs) and the patterns of expression of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) in ameloblastomas. METHOD: The methods of evaluation included the H/E stain for the morphologic analysis, the silver impregnation technique for quantification of the AgNORs and the immunohistochemical stain with anti-EGFR antibody in 11 cases of ameloblastoma. RESULTS: The results did not show a significant statistical difference as per quantification of the AgNORs. The expression of the EGFR on the epithelial islands of ameloblastoma was not uniform, and the location of the expression was also variable. The predominant expression was that of cytoplasm and the islands with an expression of membrane only were rare and generally smaller in size. CONCLUSION: The tumor presents an irregular growth. Smaller islands are associated with a higher proliferation activity and therefore could be responsible for tumor infiltration.