6533b839fe1ef96bd12a5ba8

RESEARCH PRODUCT

Fascin upregulation in primary head and neck squamous cell carcinoma is associated with lymphatic metastasis

Christoph BrochhausenKai FruthHaralampos GouverisJames KirckpatrickIrene SchmidtmannKonstantinos PapaspyrouJuergen BriegerWolf J. Mann

subject

Cancer ResearchPathologymedicine.medical_specialtymacromolecular substancesfascinhead and neck squamous cell carcinomaMetastasislymphaticmedicinemetastasisLymph nodeFascinmarkerOncogenebiologybusiness.industryCancerArticlesmedicine.diseaseHead and neck squamous-cell carcinomaLymphatic systemmedicine.anatomical_structureOncologybiology.proteinImmunohistochemistrybusiness

description

Fascin is an actin-bundling protein that is associated with cellular motility and cancer-cell invasion. The present study aimed to examine the expression of fascin in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) and its potential use as a biomarker. In a prospective study with a median follow-up time of 48.8 months, tumor tissues, adjacent healthy tissues and cervical lymph node metastases were collected from 25 patients and analyzed by immunohistochemistry. The specimens were scored according to the intensity of fascin staining and the percentage of tumor cells stained using a semi-quantitative scoring approach; the data were analyzed and correlated with clinical follow-up observations. All of the investigators were blinded to the origin of the specimens. The expression levels of fascin were significantly increased in the tumor tissues (P=0.03) and lymph node metastases (P=0.03) compared with that of the normal tissues. The high expression level of fascin in the tumor tissues was correlated with the N-status, however, not with overall survival. Therefore, fascin may be a suitable marker for the prediction of regional lymphatic metastasis in HNSCC.

10.3892/ol.2014.2007http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC4049762