Relationship of E-cadherin, Beta-catenin, N-cadherin, ZEB1 and
αSMA as Epithelial Mesenchymal Transition markers with prognostic
factors in early and advanced stage laryngeal squamous cell carcinomas
1.IntroductionLaryngeal cancer (LC) is the most frequently observed malignant tumor of
the larynx, and laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) accounts for
approximately 90% of the cases [19]. LSCC is a tumor with a high
risk of metastasis and a dismal prognosis. Despite advances in diagnosis
and treatment methods, 5-year survival rates for LSCC are still not at
the desired level [1,2]. The reason for the inadequacy in treatment
may be related to complex molecular changes that may cause treatment
resistance and difficulties in detecting molecular markers that will
enable predetermination of tumor aggressiveness [3]. Therefore,
studies on genetic regulatory networks involved in progression of LSCC
have gained momentum in order to develop individualized treatment
methods and to determine more appropriate treatment methods for the
patient [1,2]
Epithelial mesenchymal transformation (EMT); is defined as the loss of
typical properties of epithelial cells such as adhesion and apical-basal
polarity (ie. E-cadherin, alpha and beta-catenin), and gaining a
mesenchymal- like phenotype (ie. N-cadherin, vimentin, αSMA)
[2,4,5]. Signal activation of EMT in the tumor is thought to be
associated with invasion, metastasis, recurrence and the development of
resistance to treatment [6]
There are studies in the literature on EMT in squamous cell carcinomas
of head and neck (HNSCC). However, it has been reported that it would be
more appropriate to evaluate LSCCs separately from HNSCCs because of the
different embryonic origin of the larynx and different clinical and
biological behaviors they demonstrate [7]. In this study, we aimed
to investigate the relationship between E-cadherin, Beta-catenin,
N-cadherin, ZEB1 and markers of αSMA in LSCC with tumor stage, lymph
node metastasis (LNM) and overall survival (OS).
2.Material and method :
A total of 100 patients with complete clinical follow-up data who
underwent partial / total laryngectomy with a diagnosis of LSCC in our
hospital between 2013-2020 were included in the study. Age, gender,
tumor location, tumor stage, and survival information of the patients
were obtained from the departments of Otorhinolaryngology and Radiology.
Hematoxylin - eosin stained slides of the cases in our archive were
re-evaluated by two pathologists (ÜK, SE). Data about lymphovascular
invasion (LVI), perineural invasion (PNI), necrosis and lymph node
metastasis (LNM) associated with the tumor were recorded.