Abstract
Background. Metastasis is the most important predictor of survival in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). We tested the hypothesis that there is a genetic expression profile associated with OSCC metastasis. Methods. We obtained samples from 6 OSCC node-positive primary tumors and their matched metastatic lymph nodes, and 5 OSCC node-negative primary tumors. Using laser capture microdissection, we isolated OSCC cells from metastatic lymph nodes and compared them with those from matched primary tumors and unmatched node-negative primary tumors using Affymetrix Human Genome Focus arrays. Results. Comparison of tumor cells from the lymph nodes with those from the unmatched, node-negative primary tumors revealed differential expression of 160 genes. Hierarchical clustering and principal component analysis using this 160-gene set showed that the node-negative samples were distinguishable from both, node-positive primary tumors and tumors in the lymph nodes. Many of the expression changes found in the metastatic cells from the lymph nodes were also found in the node-positive primary tumors. Immunohistochemical analysis for transglutaminase-3 and keratin 16 confirmed the differential genetic expression for these genes. Conclusion. These preliminary results suggest that there may be a metastatic gene expression profile present in nodepositive primary OSCC.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 803-814 |
Number of pages | 12 |
Journal | Head and Neck |
Volume | 29 |
Issue number | 9 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Sep 2007 |
Keywords
- Genetic profiles
- Lymph nodes
- Metastasis
- Oral cancer
- Oral squamous cell carcinoma
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Otorhinolaryngology