Yim Ilena S, Zhang Lewei, Rock Leigha D, Rosin Miriam P, Lin Iris, Laronde Denise M
Faculty of Dentistry, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
BC Oral Cancer Prevention Program, Cancer Control Research, BC Cancer Research Institute, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
J Oral Pathol Med. 2025 May;54(5):334-342. doi: 10.1111/jop.13622. Epub 2025 Mar 19.
This study explored the expression patterns of epithelial-mesenchymal transition markers E-cadherin and beta-catenin in mild and moderate oral epithelial dysplasia (OED) to determine whether their expression predicts malignant progression in oral tissue.
Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue specimens with mild or moderate dysplasia were retrieved from 87 patients. Immunohistochemistry was performed to compare E-cadherin and beta-catenin expression in tissue sections that progressed to severe dysplasia, carcinoma in situ, or squamous cell carcinoma (n = 29) with those that did not progress (n = 58). Expression patterns were observed in the basal, parabasal, lower spinous, and upper spinous epithelial layers. Expression was assessed in the cell membrane for E-cadherin and beta-catenin (low expression = absent/weak staining, high = moderate/strong) and in the cytoplasm and nucleus for beta-catenin (low = absence, high = presence). Logistic regression was used to predict progression based on the expression pattern.
There were no significant differences in the progression and expression patterns of E-cadherin and beta-catenin (p > 0.05).
This study found that the expression of E-cadherin and beta-catenin was not a predictor of early malignant progression, highlighting the importance of longitudinal studies in studying progression.
本研究探讨上皮-间质转化标志物E-钙黏蛋白和β-连环蛋白在轻度和中度口腔上皮发育异常（OED）中的表达模式，以确定它们的表达是否能预测口腔组织的恶性进展。
从87例患者中获取有轻度或中度发育异常的福尔马林固定石蜡包埋组织标本。进行免疫组织化学以比较进展为重度发育异常、原位癌或鳞状细胞癌的组织切片（n = 29）与未进展的组织切片（n = 58）中E-钙黏蛋白和β-连环蛋白的表达。在基底、副基底、下棘层和上棘层上皮层中观察表达模式。评估E-钙黏蛋白和β-连环蛋白在细胞膜上的表达（低表达 = 无/弱染色，高表达 = 中度/强染色）以及β-连环蛋白在细胞质和细胞核中的表达（低表达 = 无，高表达 = 有）。使用逻辑回归基于表达模式预测进展情况。
E-钙黏蛋白和β-连环蛋白的进展和表达模式无显著差异（p > 0.05）。
本研究发现E-钙黏蛋白和β-连环蛋白的表达不是早期恶性进展的预测指标，突出了纵向研究在研究进展中的重要性。
