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Nuclear translocation of β‐catenin and decreased expression of epithelial cadherin in human papillomavirus‐positive tonsillar cancer: an early event in human papillomavirus‐related tumour progression?
Author(s) -
Stenner Markus,
Yosef Basima,
Huebbers Christian U,
Preuss Simon F,
Dienes HansPeter,
Speel ErnstJan M,
Odenthal Margarete,
Klussmann Jens P
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
histopathology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.626
H-Index - 124
eISSN - 1365-2559
pISSN - 0309-0167
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2559.2011.03805.x
Subject(s) - catenin , cadherin , vimentin , pathology , immunohistochemistry , metastasis , cancer research , carcinoma , cancer , human papillomavirus , beta catenin , biology , medicine , wnt signaling pathway , gene , cell , biochemistry , genetics
Stenner M, Yosef B, Huebbers C U, Preuss S F, Dienes H‐P, Speel E‐J M, Odenthal M & Klussmann J P (2011) Histopathology 58 , 1117–1126 Nuclear translocation of β‐catenin and decreased expression of epithelial cadherin in human papillomavirus‐positive tonsillar cancer: an early event in human papillomavirus‐related tumour progression?Aims: High‐risk human papillomaviruses (HPVs) constitute an important risk factor for tonsillar cancer. This study describes changes in cell adhesion molecules during metastasis of HPV‐related and HPV‐unrelated tonsillar carcinomas. Methods and results: We examined 48 primary tonsillar carcinoma samples (25 HPV‐16 DNA‐positive, 23 HPV‐16 DNA‐negative) and their respective lymph node metastases for their HPV status and for the expression of p16, epithelial cadherin (E‐cadherin), β‐catenin, and vimentin. A positive HPV‐specific polymerase chain reaction finding correlated significantly with p16 overexpression in both primary tumours and their metastases ( P < 0.0001 for both). In HPV‐unrelated carcinomas, the expression of E‐cadherin was significantly lower in metastases than in primary tumours ( P < 0.001). In contrast, the expression of nuclear β‐catenin was significantly higher in metastases than in primary tumours ( P = 0.016). In HPV‐related carcinomas, nuclear localization of β‐catenin expression was already apparent in primary tumours ( P = 0.030). The expression of vimentin significantly correlated with the grading of the primary tumour ( P = 0.021). Conclusions: Our data indicate that the down‐regulation of E‐cadherin and the up‐regulation of nuclear β‐catenin expression might be crucial steps during tumour progression of tonsillar carcinomas, being already present in primary tumours in HPV‐driven carcinomas, but becoming apparent in HPV‐unrelated tumours later in the process of metastasis.