The Expression Of Fibroblast Growth Factor Receptor-3 In The Squamous Cell Carcinoma Of Head And Neck And Its Significance

Fibroblast growth factor receptors (FGFR3) is a kind of tyrosine kinase receptors . The f ibroblast growth factors (FGFs) constitute a large family of about 20 structurally homologous ligands, which transduce signals through a class of cell-surface tyrosine kinase receptors. FGFs/FGFRs have been associated in vitro with cellular differentiation as well as mitogenic and motogenic responses. In vivo, Fgfs are critical for animal development, and some have potent angiogenic properties. Several Fgfs have been identified as oncogenes in several cancer. The objectives of this study were to test the expression of fibroblast growth factors receptor 3 (FGFR3) in the squamous cell carcinoma of head and neck (HNSCC), and to determine the correlation between the expression of FGFR3 and the differentiational level of the cancer.Using immunohistochemical localization Methods, we test the expression of FGFR3 in normal oral epthelium and 40 cases of squamous cell carcinoma of head and neck, including 21 cases of well-differentiated cancers, 16 cases of medium-differentiated cancers, and 3 cases of poor-differentiated cancers, and we also observed if the expression of FGFR3 is concerned with the differentiation level of the squamous cell carcinoma of head and neck.The results indecade that there is a significant positive expression of FGFR3 in head and neck squamous cell carcinomas. The expression of FGFR3 increased in well-differentiated squamous cells, and decreased in poor-differentiated squamous cells in HNSCC. No staining for FGFR3 was found in the center of cornification of the cancer. The normal oral epthelium showed negative expression of FGFR3.Conclusions : FGFR3 might play an important role in the carcinogenesis in the squamous cell carcinoma of head and neck, and the expression of FGFR3 is concerned with the differentiation level.