Samir Omnia, Farag Doaa A, Ali Khadiga M, Ismail Lawahez El M
Department of Oral Pathology, Faculty of Dentistry, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt.
Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt.
Diagn Pathol. 2025 May 27;20(1):67. doi: 10.1186/s13000-025-01665-8.
Mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC) emblematizes the predominant malignant salivary gland neoplasm, characterized by its heterogeneous morphological features and diverse clinical representations. The expression patterns and prognostic significance of Octamer transcription factor 4 (OCT4) and Mammalian-enabled (MENA) protein in MEC perdure are incompletely described.
Immunohistochemical analysis was performed on 46 archival MEC specimens and 5 normal salivary-gland controls. OCT4 and MENA staining were assessed histomorphometrically and correlated with clinicopathological parameters. Statistical analysis comprised Monte Carlo and Spearman's correlation tests.
OCT4 revealed selective cytoplasmic immunoreactivity in intermediate and epidermoid cells, without nuclear positivity. Strong OCT4 expression predominated in low-grade (66.7%), while high-grade MEC exhibited variable immunoreactivity, with 53% showing weak expression. No significant correlation was found between OCT4 expression and clinical or pathological data. MENA showed cytoplasmic and membranous immunolocalization, with expression patterns correlated significantly with age (p = 0.015), tumor size (p = 0.012), clinical stage (p = 0.004), and histological grading (p = 0.001). Spearman's correlation analysis revealed a weak, non-significant association between OCT4 and MENA expression (r = 0.05, p = 0.744).
The differential expression patterns of OCT4 and MENA in MEC prognosticate distinct regulatory mechanisms. While OCT4 cytoplasmic expression may presage early involvement in carcinogenesis, MENA cellular expression portends potentially independent molecular pathways, possibly encompassing subnetworks in the Wnt/β-catenin and TGF-β signaling cascades. MENA may serve as a biomarker for predicting the aggressive behavior of MEC.
黏液表皮样癌（MEC）是主要的恶性唾液腺肿瘤，其形态特征多样，临床表现各异。八聚体转录因子4（OCT4）和哺乳动物 Enabled 蛋白（MENA）在 MEC 中的表达模式及预后意义尚未完全阐明。
对46例存档的 MEC 标本和5例正常唾液腺对照进行免疫组织化学分析。采用组织形态计量学方法评估 OCT4 和 MENA 染色情况，并与临床病理参数进行相关性分析。统计分析包括蒙特卡洛检验和 Spearman 相关性检验。
OCT4 在中间细胞和表皮样细胞中显示出选择性的细胞质免疫反应性，无核阳性。OCT4 强表达在低级别 MEC 中占主导（66.7%），而高级别 MEC 表现出不同的免疫反应性，53%表现为弱表达。未发现 OCT4 表达与临床或病理数据之间存在显著相关性。MENA 显示出细胞质和细胞膜免疫定位，其表达模式与年龄（p = 0.015）、肿瘤大小（p = 0.012）、临床分期（p = 0.004）和组织学分级（p = 0.001）显著相关。Spearman 相关性分析显示 OCT4 和 MENA 表达之间存在微弱且无统计学意义的关联（r = 0.05，p = 0.744）。
OCT4 和 MENA 在 MEC 中的差异表达模式预示着不同的调控机制。虽然 OCT4 的细胞质表达可能预示着早期参与致癌过程，但 MENA 的细胞表达预示着潜在的独立分子途径，可能包括 Wnt/β-连环蛋白和 TGF-β 信号级联中的子网络。MENA 可能作为预测 MEC 侵袭性行为的生物标志物。
