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Expression of G α12 predicts progression and prognosis of oral squamous cell carcinomas in T aiwan
Author(s) -
Cheng ShihJung,
Liu YiChing,
Cheng ShihLung,
Lee JangJaer,
Chen HsinMing,
Chang HaoHueng,
Kok SangHeng,
Kuo Mark YenPing,
Chiang ChunPin
Publication year - 2013
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 - 10.1111/jop.12050
Subject(s) - immunohistochemistry , epithelial dysplasia , medicine , carcinogenesis , metastasis , dysplasia , cancer , proportional hazards model , pathology , biomarker , basal cell , tumor progression , lymph node , cancer research , biology , biochemistry
Background Expression of Gα12 is found to be associated with cancer cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and metastasis. Methods This study used immunohistochemistry to examine the expression of G α12 protein in 100 specimens of oral squamous cell carcinoma ( OSCC ), 45 specimens of oral epithelial dysplasia ( OED ), and 36 specimens of normal oral mucosa ( NOM ). Results The mean G α12 labeling indices ( LI s, defined as the percentage of positive cells in total cells) increased significantly from NOM (7 ± 11%) through OED (21 ± 20%) to OSCC samples (53 ± 33%, P < 0.001). The higher mean G α12 LI was significantly associated with OSCC s with larger tumor size ( P = 0.003), positive lymph node metastasis ( P = 0.002), or more advanced clinical stages ( P = 0.003). Positive lymph node metastasis ( P = 0.039) and Gα12 LI > 50% ( P = 0.009) were identified as independent unfavorable prognosis factors by multivariate analyses with Cox regression model. Moreover, Kaplan–Meier curve showed that OSCC patients with a G α12 LI > 50% had a significantly poorer cumulative survival than those with a Gα12 LI ≤ 50% (log‐rank test, P = 0.009). Conclusions Our results showed a stepwise and significant elevation in G α12 protein expression from NOM through OED to OSCC s, suggesting that overexpression of G α12 protein may be an early event in oral carcinogenesis and may play a pivotal role in oral cancer development. Moreover, the G α12 protein can be a biomarker for prediction of the progression of OSCC s and the prognosis of patients with OSCC in T aiwan.