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Immunohistochemical evidence of PTEN in oral squamous cell carcinoma and its correlation with the histological malignancy grading system
Author(s) -
Squarize Cristiane Helena,
Castilho Rogério Moraes,
Pinto Décio Santos
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
journal of oral pathology and medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.887
H-Index - 83
eISSN - 1600-0714
pISSN - 0904-2512
DOI - 10.1034/j.1600-0714.2002.00142.x
Subject(s) - pten , grading (engineering) , immunohistochemistry , malignancy , pathology , cancer research , carcinogenesis , biology , tumor suppressor gene , tumor progression , cancer , medicine , apoptosis , pi3k/akt/mtor pathway , ecology , biochemistry , genetics
PTEN is a tumor suppressor gene that encodes a dual phosphatase protein capable of modulating membrane receptors and interaction of the cell and extracellular stimuli. PTEN regulates cell physiology such as division, differentiation/apoptosis and also migration and adhesion. The expression of PTEN was evaluated by immunohistochemistry in OSCC and compared to a well‐established histological malignancy grading system. The well‐differentiated OSCC were 59.1% and poorly differentiated were 40.9%. According to PTEN expression, the cases were 45.5% positive (the entire tumor showed stained), 22.7% mixed (both negative and positive cells were present) and 31.8% negative (no staining was seen in the tumor cells). PTEN expression in OSCC was related to the malignancy grade ( P < 0.0005). Aggressive tumors with a high score of malignancy did not express PTEN , and clearly, the PTEN expression was present in the epithelium adjacent to the tumor. Negative cells were in the invasion border of the tumor. This result suggests that PTEN is related to histologic pattern and biological behavior of OSCC and may be a used as a prognostic marker in the future. The role of PTEN during carcinogenesis and as a biomarker should be further investigated.