Cytogenetic significance of chromosome 17 aberrations and P53 gene mutations as prognostic markers in oral squamous cell carcinoma

Radio-pathological characteristics of malignant transformation of an epidermoid cyst in the cerebellopontine angle: A case report

Background

Intracranial epidermoid cysts are rare congenital neoplasms that are clinically indolent and histologically benign. They rarely show malignant transformation, and several such cases have been reported. Some radiological features that suggest malignant transformation have been reported. However, histopathological features that indicate a high risk of malignant transformation have not been reported to date.

Case Description

We report a 59-year-old woman with a benign epidermoid cyst in the cerebellopontine angle that showed malignant transformation after 6 years. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at the time of initial onset displayed a high-intensity signal on diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI), no peritumoral edema, and no enhancement on contrast-enhanced T1-weighted imaging. On the other hand, MRI at the time of malignant transformation showed a low-intensity signal on DWI, peritumoral edema, and enhancement of the tumor capsule on contrast-enhanced T1-weighted imaging. Pathological findings at the time of the first surgery differed from normal benign epidermoid cysts, in that stratified squamous epithelial metaplasia was observed, and immunohistochemical (IHC) analysis showed positive p53 staining. In addition, IHC analysis at the time of malignant transformation demonstrated positive p16 staining.

Conclusion

In benign epidermoid cysts, it is considered to cause malignant transformation when squamous metaplasia or p53 mutation is observed. Therefore, strict follow-up is required while paying attention to the characteristic changes in MRI for early detection and timely treatment of malignant transformation.

Beneficial effect of KYP-2047, a propyl-oligopeptidase inhibitor, on oral squamous cell carcinoma

Oral squamous cell-carcinoma (OSCC) is a common cancer which arises from the alveolar ridge, buccal mucosa, and tongue. Among OSCC, the incidence of tongue squamous cell-carcinoma (TSCC) is growing all over the world. Oral carcinogenesis has been linked to genetic mutations, chromosomal aberrations and viral factors. Apoptosis and angiogenesis play a key role in the development of oral cancer. Therefore, it is very important discover new therapeutic strategies to counteract oral cancer progression. This study aimed to investigate the effect of KYP-2047 in an in vitro model of TSCC and in vivo CAL27-xenograft model. Our results demonstrated that KYP-2047 was able to reduce TSCCs cell viability at the concentrations of 50 μM and 100 μM. Additionally, KYP-2047 was able to increase Bax, Bad and caspase-3 expression, whereas Bcl-2 and p53 expression were reduced. Moreover, KYP-2047 significantly reduced vascular-endothelial-growth-factor (VEGF) and endothelial-nitric-oxide-synthase (eNOS) expression. In the vivo xenograft model, KYP-2047 at doses of 1 and 5 mg/kg significantly reduced tumor burden and tumor weight, decreasing also angiogenesis markers VEGF and eNOS. Moreover, KYP-2047 increased Bax and reduced Bcl2 expressions. Thus, KYP-2047 could represent a potential therapeutic treatment to counteract tongue oral-cancer growth, thanks its abilities to modulate angiogenesis and apoptosis pathways.

Effect of Photodynamic Therapy on Cyclin D1 and P53 mRNA Levels in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma Cell Line

Background: Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) is considered as one of the alternative treatments for Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma (HNSCC). P53 mRNA is a tumor suppressor gene whose mutation increases the likelihood of uncontrolled cancer-like divisions. The mutation of CCND1 oncogenic increases the production of cyclin D1 as a tumorigenic protein. Objectives: This study aimed to determine the effect of PDT using toluidine blue as a photosensitizer on the CCND1 and P53 mRNA levels in the HNSCC cell line. Methods: A human HNSCC cell line from NCBI.C196 designation HN5 was used. Cells were divided into four groups: Group I (HNSCC cell line under the influence of toluidine blue and laser irradiation), group II (HNSCC cell line under the influence of toluidine blue), group III (HNSCC cell line under laser irradiation), group IV (control group, HNSCC cell line). A 660 nm THOR laser using toluidine blue as a photosensitizer was applied. The RNA extraction was performed in three steps, including cell degradation, purification, and precipitation by alcohol. The cDNA was prepared using Takara Kit. The Amplicon kit and Real-Time PCR analysis were used for the assessment of mRNA relative levels. Results: The P53 mRNA relative levels were 1.50 ± 0.33 in group I (P = 0.65), 1.49 ± 0.23 (P =0.5) in group II, and 1.40 ± 1.05 (P = 0.63) in group III. Compared to the control group, the mean increases in CCND1 mRNA were 18.01 ± 3.37 (p=0.04) in group I, 17.69 ± 3.3 (P = 0.03) in group II, and 9.01 ± 6.17 (P = 0.20) in group III. Conclusions: The comparison of the fold change index for P53 and CCND1 mRNA by the one-way ANOVA test showed that despite the increased expression of P53 and CCND1 mRNA in treatment groups compared to the control group, there was no statistically significant difference between the increases in P53 mRNA (P = 0.99) and CCND1 mRNA (P = 0.22) index between the groups. The results of this study could be a starting point for a better understanding of the mechanism of genes in PDT of the HNSCC cell line.

Cisplatin effect on head and neck squamous cell carcinoma cells is modulated by ERK1/2 protein kinases

The extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERKs) are key transducers of the extracellular signals into intracellular responses and represent major molecular players in tumorigenesis. The aim of this study was to determine how curcumin (CRM) used as an adjuvant supports the apoptotic process induced by a single chemical agent treatment (cisplatin-CisPT) on two head and neck squamous cell carcinoma cell lines (FaDu and PE/CA-PJ49) and the involvement of ERK1/2 and/or p53 activation in this process. Data have shown that the CisPt effect is potentiated by CRM. CRM induced an increase of p53 protein phosphorylation in both cell lines. CisPt decreased p53 protein phosphorylation in FaDu cells, but increased it in PE/CA-PJ49 cells. Data showed that the constitutive expression of activated ERK1/2 protein-kinase was different in the two analyzed tumor cell lines. ERK1/2 activation status was essential for both cell processes, proliferation and apoptosis induced by CisPt and/or CRM treatment on squamous cell carcinoma cells. Our data suggest that p53 phosphorylation in the apoptotic process induced by CRM treatment might require the involvement of ERK1/2. In this regard the CisPt treatment suggested that p53 phosphorylation is ERK1/2 independent in FaDu cells having a p53 gene deletion and ERK1/2 dependent in PE/CA-PJ49 cells having a p53 gene amplification. Moreover, in both tumor cell lines our results support the involvement of p53 phosphorylation-ERK1/2 activation-dependent in the apoptosis induced by combined treatments (CisPt and CRM). The use of CRM as adjuvant could increase the efficiency of chemotherapy by modulating cellular activation processes of ERK1/2 signaling pathways. In conclusion, the particular mode of intervention by which ERK1/2 might influence cell proliferation and/or apoptosis processes depends on the type of therapeutic agent, the cells' particularities, and the activation status of the ERK1/2.

Anti-tumor effect of cisplatin in human oral squamous cell carcinoma was enhanced by andrographolide via upregulation of phospho-p53 in vitro and in vivo

Oral squamous cell carcinoma is one of the most common neoplasm in the world. Despite the improvements in diagnosis and treatment, the outcome is still poor now. Thus, the development of novel therapeuticapproaches is needed. The aim of this study is to assess the synergistic anti-tumor effect of andrographolide with cisplatin (DDP) in oral squamous cell carcinoma CAL-27 cells in vitro and in vivo. We performed Cell Counting Kit-8 proliferation assay, apoptosis assay, and western blotting on CAL-27 cells treated with andrographolide, DDP or the combination in vitro. In vivo, we also treated CAL-27 xenografts with andrographolide or the combination, and performed terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate nick-end labeling assay and immunohistochemical analysis of Ki-67. The results showed the combination of andrographolide and DDP synergistically inhibited CAL-27 cell proliferation in vitro and caused tumor regression in vivo in the CAL-27 xenografts. In addition, the synergistic anti-tumor effect of andrographolide with synergistic was due to an enhanced apoptosis. Moreover, the combination therapy upregulated the expression level of p-p53 in vitro and decreased Ki-67 expression in vivo. Our data indicate that the combination treatment of andrographolide and DDP results in synergistic anti-tumor growth activity against oral squamous cell carcinoma CAL-27 in vitro and in vivo. These results demonstrated that combination of andrographolide with DDP was likely to represent a potential therapeutic strategy for oral squamous cell carcinoma.

Prognostic significance of centromere 17 copy number gain in breast cancer depends on breast cancer subtype

Increased copy number of chromosome enumeration probe (CEP) targeting centromere 17 is frequently encountered during HER2 in situ hybridization (ISH) in breast cancer. The aim of this study was to clarify the clinicopathologic significance of CEP17 copy number gain in a relatively large series of breast cancer patients. We analyzed 945 cases of invasive breast cancers whose HER2 fluorescence ISH reports were available from 2004 to 2011 at a single institution and evaluated the association of CEP17 copy number gain with clinicopathologic features of tumors and patient survival. We detected 186 (19.7%) cases of CEP17 copy number gain (CEP17≥3.0) among 945 invasive breast cancers. In survival analysis, CEP17 copy number gain was not associated with disease-free survival of the patients in the whole group. Nonetheless, it was found to be an independent adverse prognostic factor in the HER2-negative group but not in the HER2-positive group. In further subgroup analyses, CEP17 copy number gain was revealed as an independent poor prognostic factor in HER2-negative and hormone receptor-positive breast cancers, and it was associated with aggressive histologic variables including high T stage, high histologic grade, lymphovascular invasion, p53 overexpression, and high Ki-67 proliferative index. In conclusion, we found that elevated CEP17 count can serve as a prognostic marker in luminal/HER2-negative subtype of invasive breast cancer. We advocate the use of the dual-colored fluorescence ISH using CEP17 rather than the single-colored one because it gives additional valuable information on CEP17 copy number alterations.