Prognostic value of heparanase expression and cellular localization in oral cancer

✍ Scribed by Yoav Leiser; Imad Abu-El-Naaj; Edmond Sabo; Sharon Akrish; Neta Ilan; Ofer Ben-Izhak; Micha Peled; Israel Vlodavsky

• Book ID: 102235776
• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2010
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 282 KB
• Volume: 33
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1043-3074
• DOI: 10.1002/hed.21545

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

Background

Metastases formation depends on the ability of tumor cells to invade basement membranes in a process involving enzymes capable of degrading extracellular matrix components.

Methods

We examined the expression of heparanase in oral carcinomas and correlated its staining extent, intensity, and cellular localization with patients' outcome.

Results

Quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) revealed over 4‐fold increase in heparanase levels in oral carcinomas compared to adjacent normal tissue. Normal oral epithelium was found negative for heparanase, while all oral carcinomas stained positively for heparanase. Heparanase staining was associated with Ki67 staining, a measure of cell proliferation. Notably, whereas cytoplasmic localization of heparanase was associated with high‐grade carcinomas, nuclear localization of the enzyme was found primarily in low‐grade, well‐differentiated tumors, and in all oral verrucous carcinomas.

Conclusion

Expression level and cellular localization of heparanase could serve as an important diagnostic marker in patients with oral cancer. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck, 2011