Stromal CD10 expression is correlated with invasiveness and proliferation of extramammary Paget disease

Immunohistochemical and fluorescence in situ hybridization studies on noninvasive and invasive extramammary Paget's disease

To determine useful immunohistochemical markers for tumor cells in extramammary Paget's disease (EMPD), immunohistochemical (IHC) examinations in 17 patients with EMPD, including 4 patients with dermal invasion, were performed. Among the antibodies examined, cytokeratin 7 (CK7) and CK19 were strongly positive for both intraepidermal and dermally invasive tumor cells in all patients. CAM5.2 and mucin 1 (MUC1) were also good markers. Although IHC examination revealed positive for HER-2 in 4 EMPD patients with dermal invasion, 4 out of 13 noninvasive patients were IHC negative. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) study revealed negative results for HER-2 gene amplification in 8 IHC positive patients, including each 4 patients of both noninvasive and dermal invasive cases. Our results show that besides CK7, CK19 is another favorable marker of tumor cells of EMPD. Four patients with dermal invasion were strongly positive for HER-2, although negative results were obtained in the FISH study. Further investigations are required to confirm the results of the FISH study.

Epithelial tumor, invasion and stroma

Uncontrolled proliferation is a defining feature of the malignant phenotype. Nevertheless, the supportive network provided by the stroma is indispensable for further invasion, progression and metastasis of cancer cells. In addition, the role of inflammation in tumorigenesis is now generally accepted, and it has become evident that an inflammatory microenvironment is an essential component of tumor progression. Since skin tumors are common and easily assessable lesions with features at various stages of tumorigenesis, they provide a wide scope for research in this field to further our understanding of fundamental and clinical carcinogenesis. Some of the basic aspects of epithelial tumorigenesis, invasion and stromal reaction are reviewed in this paper.

CD10-bearing fibroblast inhibits matrigel invasive potency of interleukin-1α-producing squamous cell carcinoma by diminishing substance P levels in the tumor microenvironment

CD10 is a neutral endopeptidase, which cleaves various peptide substrates including substance P. CD10 expression has been detected in peritumoral fibroblasts (Fb) within the invasive area of various cancers such as squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). However, the biological significance of CD10-bearing Fb remains largely unknown. We examined dynamic interactions of Fb with tumorigenic A431 SCC cells or non-tumorigenic HaCaT squamous cells. The SCC and HaCaT cells did not synthesize CD10, while Fb constitutively expressed CD10. When co-cultured, SCC markedly upregulated fibroblastic CD10 expression compared with HaCaT, which was mainly attributable to SCC-derived interleukin-1α (IL-1α). Both SCC and Fb autonomously secreted substance P, which eventually enhanced the invasive capacity of SCC in a matrigel invasion assay by upregulating matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-1 and MMP-2, but not MMP-9. Transfection of siRNA for CD10 successfully knocked down the CD10 expression in Fb (CD10ND-Fb). In the presence of CD10ND-Fb, substance P levels in supernatants as well as MMP production and the invasive potency of SCC were significantly augmented compared with control scramble RNA-transfected Fb. We also transfected CD10 vector to Fb and found that the matrigel invasive ability of SCC cells was downregulated co-cultured with CD10 vector-transfected Fb rather than empty vector-transfected Fb. In conclusion, the CD10-bearing Fb generated by SCC-derived IL-1 inhibited the invasive capacity of SCC by diminishing the microenvironmental concentration of substance P.