The Correlation of p16 and P15 Expressions in Salivary Gland Mucoepidermoid Carcinoma

[Purpose]To explore the expressions of p16 and p15 in normol salivary gland tissue and in mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC).The role of carcinogenesis and clinical significance are investigated. [Methods]The expression of p16 and p15 protein in 10 cases of normal salivary gland tissue and 45 cases with MEC was detected by the streptavidin-peroxidase (S-P) immunohistochemical method. [Results]The positive rates of p15 and p16 in MEC were 62.2% and 73.3% respectively,which was significantly lower than those in normal salivary gland tissue(100%) (P0.05) and the positive rates decreased as the tumor lost its differentiation. The expression of p16 was related to lymph node metastasis. There were significant or correlation between the expression of p16 and p15 in MEC (P0.05).[Conclusions]Lost expression of p15 and p16 are closely correlated with the process of carcinogenesis in MEC, probably the abnormality of the p16 gene is a direct factor.