Wushou Alimujiang, Pan Hong-Ya, Liu Wei, Tian Zhen, Wang Li-Zhen, Shali Shalamati, Zhang Zhi-Yuan
Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Stomatology and Shanghai Research Institute of Stomatology, Shanhai, China.
J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2012 Jun;70(6):1473-9. doi: 10.1016/j.joms.2011.06.212. Epub 2011 Aug 24.
To investigate the protein expression of Twist, Snail, and Slug in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) samples and evaluate the potential correlation between the expression status and clinicopathologic features in patients with OSCC.
Twist, Snail, and Slug protein expression was assessed by immunohistochemistry in a total of 60 OSCC samples and 10 normal oral mucosal samples. The associations between the protein expression and clinicopathologic parameters were mainly detected using the χ(2) test. The survival analysis was performed using the Kaplan-Meier method, and the prognostic analysis was performed using Cox regression models.
Immunohistochemistry stain analysis showed that positive Twist, Snail, and Slug protein expression was observed in 70%, 63.3%, and 58.3% of the cases, respectively. Twist protein expression was positively associated with lymph node metastasis, pathologic grade, and tumor stage (P = .012, P = .008, and P = .004, respectively, χ(2) test). All patients were followed up for 6 to 59 months (mean 37). A correlation between Twist protein expression and tumor recurrence was detected (log-rank test, P = .025). Nevertheless, no correlation was found between the Snail and Slug protein expression and the clinicopathologic parameters.
Twist might serve as a useful molecular marker for lymph node metastasis and a poor prognosis in OSCC.
研究Twist、Snail和Slug蛋白在口腔鳞状细胞癌（OSCC）样本中的表达情况，并评估其表达状态与OSCC患者临床病理特征之间的潜在相关性。
采用免疫组织化学方法检测60例OSCC样本和10例正常口腔黏膜样本中Twist、Snail和Slug蛋白的表达。主要采用χ(2)检验检测蛋白表达与临床病理参数之间的相关性。采用Kaplan-Meier法进行生存分析，采用Cox回归模型进行预后分析。
免疫组织化学染色分析显示，Twist、Snail和Slug蛋白阳性表达率分别为70%、63.3%和58.3%。Twist蛋白表达与淋巴结转移、病理分级和肿瘤分期呈正相关（χ(2)检验，P分别为0.012、0.008和0.004）。所有患者随访6至59个月（平均37个月）。检测到Twist蛋白表达与肿瘤复发之间存在相关性（对数秩检验，P = 0.025）。然而，未发现Snail和Slug蛋白表达与临床病理参数之间存在相关性。
Twist可能是OSCC淋巴结转移和预后不良的一个有用分子标志物。
