Expression and implication of proliferating cell nuclear antigen and CD44 protein in human laryngeal carcinoma

Objective: To explore the expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen(PCNA) and CD44 protein in different laryngeal carcinoma tissues and study its clinical significance. Methods: Immunohistochemistry methods were used to study 175 cases of archived paraffin embedded laryngeal carcinoma tissues and other laryngeal tissues. Results:The results turned out to be as follows: (1)The positive rate of PCNA and CD44 in vocal cords polypus, precarcinoma lesions, tissues adjacent or opposite to carcinoma and laryngeal carcinoma increased abviously. A high level of PCNA and CD44 expression was more frequently found in laryngeal carcinoma than in non carcinoma laryngeal lesions and normal tissues. Their expression correlated well with histological grades, the higher the grade was, the lower the expression was. The third and fourth stages laryngeal carcinoma were stronger positive than those of the first and second stages. Laryngeal carcinoma with cervical metastasis had higher expression than those without cervical metastasis.(2)The 3 and 5 years survival rate of CD44 positive cases was lower than that of CD44 negative cases. (3)There was a positive relationship between expression of PCNA and CD44 ( P 0.01). Conclusion:These results suggest that the occurrence, development and prognosis of laryngeal carcinoma may be closely related to PCNA and CD44 expression.