The expression of osteopontin and integrin αV in the laryngeal and hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma and its correlation with tumor invasion as well as metastasis

Objective: To investigate the expression of osteopontin(OPN) and integrin αⅤ(ITGAⅤ) in the laryngeal and hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma(LHSCC) and study the influence on the biological behaviors(invasion and migration) of tumor cells.Methods: The tissue microarray of LHSCC was designed and the OPN and ITGAV expressions were detected by immunohistochemistry.The professional software of pathological image manipulation(Image Pro Plus 5.02,IPP 5.02) was used to quantitate the results of the immunohistochemical staining.The relationship between OPN and ITGAV expressions and clinicopathological staging of LHSCC was analyzed.Results: The expression levels of OPN and ITGAV in primary and metastatic carcinoma were significantly higher than those in normal tissues(P0.001);their expressions in the well-differentiated group were significantly lower than those in the moderate-and poor-differentiated groups(P0.01);the expression levels of OPN and ITGAV in the group with lymph node metastasis were significantly higher than those in the group without lymph node metastasis(P0.001).The expression levels of OPN and ITGAV had no correlation with primary locations,the size of invasion area,and the age and sex of patients.Conclusion: The expressions of OPN and ITGAV are significantly related with the invasion and migration of the LHSCC.Over-expression of OPN and ITGAV may be one of the important factors contributing to the invasion and migration of LHSCC.