Kato Koroku, Kawashiri Shuichi, Yoshizawa Kunio, Kitahara Hiroko, Yamamoto Etsuhide
Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Kanazawa University Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa, Japan.
J Oral Pathol Med. 2008 Jul;37(6):364-71. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-0714.2008.00642.x. Epub 2008 Apr 10.
Apoptosis is a genetically regulated cell death involved in the deletion of cells in normal or malignant tissues. Proteins of the Bcl-2 family play a key role in the control of apoptosis and carry out both pro-apoptotic and anti-apoptotic functions. The present study evaluated the prognostic value of Bcl-2 and Bax expression at the invasive front of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), taking clinicopathological findings into account.
Fifty-six specimens of OSCC were randomly selected, and Bcl-2 and Bax expression was evaluated by immunohistochemistry in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded pre-treated specimens at the invasive front of OSCC. Clinicopathological data were gathered and patient survival was analysed.
No significant relationship was found between Bcl-2 or Bax expression and clinical variables. Patients with Bcl-2 expression had a worse prognosis than those without Bcl-2 expression, but the difference did not reach statistical significance. Patients with Bax expression had a significantly better prognosis than those without Bax expression (P < 0.05). In univariate analyses, T category, mode of cancer invasion and Bax expression showed significant correlations. Multivariate analysis revealed that the mode of cancer invasion and Bax expression were significant and independent variables. Bax expression was found to be the strongest independent prognostic parameter. Patients with negative Bcl-2 expression and positive Bax expression had a significantly better prognosis (P < 0.005).
We suggest that Bax expression at the invasive front of OSCC is a significant predictor of prognosis and that it is therefore important to investigate the expression of Bcl-2 and Bax in this disease.
细胞凋亡是一种由基因调控的细胞死亡过程，参与正常或恶性组织中细胞的清除。Bcl-2家族蛋白在细胞凋亡的控制中起关键作用，具有促凋亡和抗凋亡功能。本研究在考虑临床病理结果的情况下，评估了口腔鳞状细胞癌（OSCC）浸润前沿Bcl-2和Bax表达的预后价值。
随机选取56例OSCC标本，采用免疫组织化学方法对福尔马林固定、石蜡包埋的OSCC浸润前沿预处理标本中的Bcl-2和Bax表达进行评估。收集临床病理数据并分析患者生存率。
未发现Bcl-2或Bax表达与临床变量之间存在显著相关性。有Bcl-2表达的患者预后较无Bcl-2表达的患者差，但差异未达到统计学意义。有Bax表达的患者预后明显优于无Bax表达的患者（P < 0.05）。单因素分析显示，T分期、癌症浸润方式和Bax表达之间存在显著相关性。多因素分析表明，癌症浸润方式和Bax表达是显著且独立的变量。发现Bax表达是最强的独立预后参数。Bcl-2表达阴性且Bax表达阳性的患者预后明显更好（P < 0.005）。
我们认为OSCC浸润前沿的Bax表达是预后的重要预测指标，因此研究该疾病中Bcl-2和Bax的表达具有重要意义。
