| Objective:Oral squamous cell carcinoma is a common disease of head and neck cancers. Infiltrion and metastsis are very important to the rate of survival. That is a complicated process, when the tumor cell breaking away from the original place is the first step. The decrease of adhesion between tumor cells can cause Infiltrion and metastsis. E-cadherin is one of the most important moleculesin cell-cell adhesion signal transduction. It was found participated in the tissue morphogenesis and embryonic development and regulates cellular processes. In cause of these functions, reduced expression of E-cad have a correlation with invasion and metastasis.It was considered sa a suppressor gene of cancer. Despite many experiments confirmed E-cad had close correlation with tumoroccourance, development and metastasis, we also seldom seen researches about the expression of E~cad in tissues adjacent to carcinoma, and we seen different results of its expression in lymph node metastasis. The aim of this study is to detect the expression of oral squamous cell carcinoma(OSCC), tissues adjacent to carcinoma and its lymph node metastasis by immunohistochemistry. And to discuss the function of E~cad and the mechanism of oscc metastasis. Methods:The study group consisted of 37 patients, 5 with normal mucosa, 32 with OSCC, including carcinoma, tissues adjacent to carcinoma, its lymph node metastasis and lymph nodes had no Metastasis from different areas. Every speciment would be cut into 3 pieces for HE staining, immunohistochemical staining and negative contrast respectively. We studied the expression of E-cad in different tissues.All patients were followed up.The results were performed for statistical analysis.P<0.05 was considered significant. Results:32 patients were followed up for 10-24 months. 9 patientssuffered from recurrence and metastasis, and 6 of them died. The expression of E~cad in oral mucosa were strong membranous staining at intercellular border. In OSCC,the expression were decreased in histological grade I, II and III. And there were significant difference between them(P<0. 05). Patients who had lymph node metastasis had lower xepression then others(P<0. 001). Besides, we found close relations between the expression of E-cad and the depth of infiltrion (P<0.05) . The expression of E~cad significant difference between carcinoma and tissues adjacent to carcinoma (P<0.001) .All lymph node metastasis had positive expression of E-cad, and the expression were negative correlation with those of primary OSCC. Lymph nodes those were examined no metastasis by HE had negative expression on E-cad except one that had few cell staining. Conclusions: (1). Reducing expression of E-cad in OSCC were associated withcell differentiation, infiltrion and metastasis. (2). The expression of E-cad tissues adjacent to carcinoma wereweaker slightly than normal, it showed there is amalignantpotential in tissues adjacent to carcinoma than the normal.(3).There were positive expression of E~cad in lymph node metastasis, it might be correlated with gene promoter hypermethylation of E-cad and the mechanism of cellular changes between epithelial and mesenchymal epithelial.(4).One patient lymph node which was considered had no metastasis by HE staining had few cell showed positive expression of E-cad, it might be considered as micrometastasis. |
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