Expression of P-Akt in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma and Its Clinical Significance

Objective To observe the expression of P-Akt protein in nasopharyngeal carcinoma(NPC),and evaluate its relationship to clinicopathologic status and prognostic features.Methods Sixty NPC tissue wax blocks cut by surgical biopsy from 2002 to 2003 were chosen as NPC group,and another 30 nasopharyngeal paraffin samples of chronic nasopharyngeal inflammation patients as control group.P-Akt expressions of 2 groups were determined by immunohischemitry(SABC) and its relationship to clinicopathological features were analyzed in NPC patients.Results P-Akt positive staining was mainly located in cytoplasm with a positive rate of 35.0%(21 cases) in NPC group,and P-Akt was not expressed in control group,the difference was significant(P0.01).Akt expression was correlated with the invaded degree of NPC primary lesions,lymph node metastasis and distant metastasis,TNM clinical staging(P0.05),but not with histological typing of NPC tissues(P0.05).Conclusion P-Akt is over-expressed in NPC tissue cytoplasm,which is correlated with clinical and pathological characteristics such as lymph node invasion and distant metastasis and TNM clinical staging in NPC patients.P-Akt expression can be used as a new indicator for predicting stage of disease and metastasis.