Cyclin D1 expression is correlated with cell differentiation and cell proliferation in oral squamous cell carcinomas

Cyclin D1 and Ki-67 expression and its correlation with histopathological parameters and cervical lymph node metastasis in oral squamous cell carcinoma

Background

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the most common malignant tumor among oral cancers. Cyclin D1 and Ki-67 have associated with cell division. The aim of this study was to compare the expression of these markers in OSCC with and without cervical lymph node (LN) metastasis.

Materials and Methods

This cross-sectional study was performed on 40 OSCCs with and without cervical LN metastasis (20 in each group) that was recorded in the pathology archive of Ayatollah Kashani Hospital in Isfahan. Clinical information including age, gender, and location was collected. Some histopathological parameters including depth of invasion, lymphovascular invasion (LVI), perineural invasion (PNI), number of LN metastases, histopathological grade, and stage of disease were evaluated. Immunohistochemical staining was performed for cyclin D1 and Ki-67. All data were entered into SPSS24 software and were analyzed by Mann-Whitney, Kruskal-Wallis, Chi-square, Fisher's exact, and t-tests. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results

Based on LVI and stage of disease, a significant correlation was found between the two groups (P < 0.001). There was a significant difference between the two groups based on cyclin D1 expression (P = 0.05). The expression of the Ki-67 showed a significant difference based on tumor location (P = 0.026) and PNI (P = 0.033).

Conclusion

The use of markers should be considered in determining the prognosis of OSCC, and the cyclin D1 marker is one of the useful markers for predictors of cervical LN metastasis.

Immunohistochemical expression of E-Cadherin and Cyclin D1 in different grades of oral squamous cell carcinoma

Background

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the most common oral malignancy, representing up to 80-90% of all malignant neoplasms of the oral cavity. It results from the multistep accumulation of heterogeneous genetic changes. Important risk factors for OSCC include the use of tobacco or betel quid chewing, alcohol consumption, human papillomavirus and poor nutrition. E-Cadherin as a tumour suppressor gene sets a threshold for Wnt/β-catenin signalling. When expression of E-Cadherin is lost, potentiation of Wnt signalling pathway occurs leading to loss of cell-cell adhesion. The cyclin D1 gene (CCND1) located on chromosome 11q13 encodes a nuclear protein that is the regulatory subunit of Cdk-4 and Cdk-6. Cyclin D1 plays a major role in cell cycle transition from G1 to S phase by contributing to inactivation of the retinoblastoma gene product, and overexpression of CCND1 has been reported in 35-40% cases of OSCC.

Aim

Considering this, we decided to evaluate and compare the expression of CE-Cadherin and Cyclin D1 in different grades of OSCC.

Materials and Methods

A retrospective study was carried out on 60 formalin-fixed paraffin embedded tissue blocks comprising of 20 cases of well-differentiated OSCC, 20 cases of moderately differentiated OSCC and 20 cases of poorly differentiated OSCC. Diagnosed (using H and E), with oral mucosa taken as control.

Results

There was downregulation of E-Cadherin and overexpression of Cyclin D1 in increasing grades of OSCC and the difference was statistically significant. E-Cadherin was localised to membranous and shifted to cytoplasm as the grade worsened. Cyclin D1 was localised to nuclei of cells and the expression was seen more at the peripheral portions of tumour islands depicting the proliferative activity of tumour front.

Conclusion

The study revealed a good prognostic role of both E-Cadherin and Cyclin D1 in OSCC. The markers can be used for prognostic as well as therapeutic purposes.

Immunohistochemical analysis of a panel of cancer stem cell markers and potential therapeutic markers in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma

PURPOSE

Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is the most common type of pancreatic malignancies. It is known for its aggressive nature and high mortality rate. This calls for an urgent need of new prognostic and therapeutic markers that can be targeted for personalized treatment of the patient.

METHODS

Among 142 patients diagnosed with pancreatic cancers at Aga Khan University Hospital, a total of 62 patients were selected based on their confirmed diagnosis of PDAC. Immunohistochemistry was performed on Formalin-Fixed Paraffin-Embedded (FFPE) sections using selected antibodies (CD44, CD133, L1CAM, HER2, PD-L1, EGFR, COX2 and cyclin D1). All the slides were scored independently by two pathologists as per the set criteria.

RESULTS

Expression of all cancer stem cell markers was found to be significantly associated with one or more potential therapeutic markers. CD44 expression was significantly associated with HER2 (p = 0.032), COX2 (p = 0.005) and EGFR expression (p = 0.008). CD133 expression also showed significant association with HER2 (p = 0.036), COX2 (p = 0.004) and EGFR expression (p = 0.018). L1CAM expression was found to be associated with expression of COX2 (p = 0.017). None of the proteins markers showed association with overall survival of the patient. On the other hand, among the clinicopathological characteristics, histological differentiation (p = 0.047), lymphovascular invasion (p = 0.021) and perineural invasion (p = 0.014) were found to be significantly associated with patient's overall survival.

CONCLUSION

Internationally, this is the first report that assesses the selected panel of cancer stem cell markers and potential therapeutic targets in a single study and evaluates its combined expression. The study clearly demonstrates association between expression of cancer stem cell markers and therapeutic targets hence paves a way for precision medicine for pancreatic cancer patients.

Nuclear Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Overexpression as a Survival Predictor in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

The aim of this study was to determine, by immunohistochemical methods, the expression of nEGFR and markers of cell proliferation (Ki-67), cell cycle (mEGFR, p53, cyclin D1), and tumor stem cells (ABCG2) in 59 pathohistological samples of healthy oral mucosa, 50 oral premalignant changes (leukoplakia and erythroplakia), and 52 oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCC). An increase in the expression of mEGFR and nEGFR was found with the development of the disease (p < 0.0001). In the group of patients with leukoplakia and erythroplakia, we found a positive correlation between nEGFR and Ki67, p53, cyclin D1, and mEGFR, whereas in the group of patients with OSCC, we found a positive correlation between nEGFR and Ki67, mEGFR (p < 0.05). Tumors without perineural (PNI) invasion had a higher expression of p53 protein than tumors with PNI (p = 0.02). Patients with OSCC and overexpression of nEGFR had shorter overall survival (p = 0.004). The results of this study suggest a potentially important independent role of nEGFR in oral carcinogenesis.

Comprehensive Review on Development of Early Diagnostics on Oral Cancer with a Special Focus on Biomarkers

One of the most frequent head and neck cancers is oral cancer, with less than half of those diagnosed surviving five years. Despite breakthroughs in the treatment of many other cancers, the prognosis for people with OSCC remains dismal. The conventional methods of detection include a thorough clinical examination, biochemical investigations, and invasive biopsies. Early identification and treatment are important for a better chance of extending a patient’s life. Early diagnosis may be possible by identifying biomarkers in biological fluids. Currently, the primary method for diagnosing oral lesions is a visual oral examination; however, such a technique has certain drawbacks, as individuals are recognized after their cancer has advanced to a severe degree. The first section of this review discusses several diagnostic techniques for cancer detection, while the second section discusses the present state of knowledge about known existing predictive markers for the timely identification of malignant lesions, as well as disease activity tracking. The aim of the paper is to conduct a critical review of existing oral cancer diagnostic processes and to consider the possible application of innovative technology for early detection. This might broaden our diagnostic choices and enhance our capacity to identify and treat oral malignant tumors more effectively.

Immunohistochemical expression and evaluation of cyclin D1 and minichromosome maintenance 2 in oral squamous cell carcinoma and verrucous carcinoma

Background

The study of cell proliferation is important for assessing the tumor behavior, prognosis and patient survival of oral carcinomas. As literature search did not reveal sufficient studies of immunohistochemical expression of cyclin D1 and minichromosome maintenance 2 (MCM2) in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and verrucous carcinoma (VC), the present study was undertaken.

Materials and Methods

The study group included 20 cases of histopathologically diagnosed OSCC, 10 cases of VC and 10 cases of normal mucosa (NM). All samples were evaluated for the expression of cyclin D1 and MCM2 using standard Immunohistochemistry (IHC) procedure.The present study involved both qualitative and quantitative analyses. Qualitative analysis was done by evaluation of intensity and area of staining. Quantitative analysis was done by calculating the percentage of positively stained cells and assessing the labeling index (LI). Data obtained were subjected to statistical analysis using SPSS statistical package (version 23.0).

Results

On evaluating and comparing the intensity of staining and area of staining of cyclin D1 and MCM2 between the study groups, statistically significant values (P < 0.05) were obtained using Kruskal-Wallis ANOVA. Comparison of LI of cyclin D1 and MCM2 in NM, OSCC and VC statistically significant results (P < 0.05) was obtained using Mann-Whitney U-test. Mean LI of MCM2 was found to be significantly higher than mean LI of cyclin D1 in all the study groups.

Conclusion

From the present study, we conclude that MCM2 has the potential to serve as a novel cell proliferation biomarker in OSCC and VC when compared to cyclin D1.

Immunohistochemical Expression of Cyclin D1 and Ki-67 in Primary and Metastatic Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Objective:

The aim of current study was to investigate the expression of Cyclin D1 and Ki-67 in primary and metastatic oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and their different histological grades.

Methods:

Paraffin embedded 30 oral squamous cell carcinoma (15 each of primary and cervical lymph node metastatic OSCC) were included in the study. Cyclin D1 and Ki 67 expressions were evaluated by immunohistochemistry and compared in primary and lymph node metastasis of OSCC and their histological grades. The data was analyzed using SPSS software.

Results:

The mean age of patients with primary OSCC was 53.47 ±16.67 years and 61.47 ±11.94 years in patients with metastasis. Males were comparatively affected more than females with tongue as the most common site involved in both primary and metastatic tumours. The mean size of primary and metastatic tumour biopsies were 1.16 mm and 3.93 mm respectively. Comparison of the expression of Cyclin D1 in these primary and metastatic OSCC revealed a statistically significant difference (p = 0.003) whereas it was insignificant for Ki-67 (p = 0.715).

Conclusion:

Cyclin D1 can be a useful marker in predicting aggressive or metastatic behaviour of OSCC on premier biopsies.

Knocking-down of CREPT prohibits the progression of oral squamous cell carcinoma and suppresses cyclin D1 and c-Myc expression

Background

As a regulator essential for many cell cycle-related proteins, the robust expression of Cell cycle-Related and Expression-elevated Protein in Tumor (CREPT) implicates a poor diagnosis of endoderm and mesoderm-derived tumors. Whether CREPT plays the same role in the tumorigenesis derived from ectodermal tissues remains elusive.

Methods

To explore the role of CREPT in ectoderm-derived tumors, cells from 7oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) lines and 84clinical OSCC samples were exploited in this study. Quantitative PCR, Western blot assay and immunohistochemistry were applied in the evaluation of CREPT, cyclin D1 and c-Myc expression. Knocking-down of CREPT was performed by lentivirus delivering specific shRNA of CREPT. The effects of CREPT on OSCC were examined by cell proliferation, colony formation, apoptosis, cell migration and xenograft implantation experiments.

Results

Compared with human normal oral keratinocytes, OSCC cell lines showed a significantly elevated expression of CREPT in both mRNA and protein levels. Consistently, samples from OSCC patients also exhibited a noticeably stronger CREPT expression than the noncancerous samples. In contrast, knocking down of CREPT in OSCC cell lines significantly reduced proliferation, colony formation and migration as well as the expression of cyclin D1 and c-Myc, but promoted apoptosis. Statistical analysis also suggested that CREPT expression was significantly correlated with the T and N classification of OSCC. Furthermore, CAL27 mouse xenograft model confirmed that down-regulation of CREPT prohibited cyclin D1 and c-Myc expression, through which decreased the in vivo tumor growth, but increased the survival ratio of hosts.

Conclusion

In OSCC cell lines, up-regulated CREPT expression enhanced cell proliferation, migration and cell cycle as well as promoted cyclin D1 and c-Myc expression as it did in endoderm and mesoderm-origin tumors. Our study strongly suggests that CREPT could be used as a marker for the OSCC prognosis and might work as a potential target in future OSCC therapy.

The role of microRNA in metastatic processes of non-small cell lung carcinoma

BACKGROUND

MicroRNAs are small non-coding one-stranded RNA molecules that play an important role in the post-transcriptional regulation of genes. Bioinformatic predictions indicate that each miRNA can regulate hundreds of target genes. MicroRNA expression can be associated with various cellular processes leading to the metastasis of malignant tumours including non-small cell lung carcinoma. This review summarizes current knowledge on the role of microRNAs in NSCLC metastasis to the brain and lymph nodes.

METHODS

A search of the NCBI/PubMed database for publications on expression levels and the mechanisms of microRNA action in NSCLC metastasis.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSION

Dysregulation of microRNAs in NSCLC can be associated with brain and lymph node metastasis. There are differences in microRNA expression profiling between NSCLC with and without metastases but it is currently not possible to reliably predict the site of metastasis in NSCLC. Based on data from RNAmicroarrays, bioinformatics analysis is able to predict the target genes of highlighted microRNAs, providing us with complex information about cancer cell features such as enhanced proliferation, migration and invasion. Such microRNAs may then be knocked-down using siRNAs or substituted with miRNA mimics. RNA microarray profiling may thus be a useful tool to select up- or down-regulated microRNAs. A number of authors suggest that microRNAs could serve as biomarkers and therapeutic targets in the treatment of NSCLC metastasis.

Novel technologies for oral squamous carcinoma biomarkers in diagnostics and prognostics

BACKGROUND

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a highly prevalent malignant pathology of the oral cavity. Despite the significant progress accomplished in the field of OSCC, the diagnosis is performed mostly in advanced stages; thus, novel biomarkers need to be developed for the diagnostic and prognostic of this malignancy. Many new technologies are used to provide indispensable information related to the pathogenesis of OSCC. The molecular profiling studies that incorporate genetic and epigenetic alterations need to be integrated in clinical practice as routine approaches to facilitate a better diagnostic and prognostic.

REVIEW

In this review, the authors present a summary of these novel technologies in the field of genomics, transcriptomics or proteomics, capable of generating data related to personalized diagnostic and treatment.