| The c - met oncogene belongs to a member of growth factor families, it encodes the hepatocyte growth factor /scatter factor( HGF/SF) receptor and has the tyrosine - kinase activity. It is one of the important parts in the cellular information transmitting function, c - met has been shown to fufill a number of important roles in tumor progression, invasion and metastasis. Expression of c - met in human adenocarcinoma is well described, such as gastric, breast, prostatic, pancreatic, thyroid, heaptocellular and endomentrial carcinomas. But few studies on its expression in squamous cell carcinomas have been reported, such as esophageal, oral,laryngeal,head and neck,uterine cervix carcinomas,and its expression in vulvar squamous cell carcinoma has not previously been reported.OBJECTIVETo clarify the role of c - met in vulvar carcinogenesis through examination of its expression in a spectrum of vulvar lesions ranging from benign vulvar con-dyloma acuminate (VCA) through premalignant vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia (VIN) and vulvar dystrophy{ VD) near the carcinoma to malignant vulvar squamous cell carcinomas (VSCC) conditions and to analyze the relationship between c - met expression and clinicalpathologic features of vulvar squamous carcinomas including age,clinical stage,histopathologic tumor grade and lymph node status.MATERIALS AND METHODSThe subjects were Thirty vulvar squamous cell carcinomas( VSCC ) , Twenty - five vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia ( VIN), Twenty vulvar dystrophy ( VD)near the carcinoma including ten hyperplastic dystrophy ( HD) and ten Lichen sclerosis(LS) ,Fifteen vulvar condyloma acuminata( VCA)from the department of gynecological pathology at the first affiliated hospital of China Medical University between 1995 and 2003. For the controls,5 specimens of normal vulvar skin were used. ( all the tissues were formalin fixed and paraffin - embeded). All the specimens were detected by the technique of the immunohistochemical S - ABC with the employed affinity - purified rabbit polyclonal anti - c - met antibody (1 ;200). For statistical analysis,the chi - square test were used, c - met expression was compared with clinicalpathologic features of VSCC. P value less than 0.05 were regarded as significant.RESULTSc -met was expressed in 80% (24/30) of VSCC,The positive cells rate were 70. 3% ;20% (2/10) of VINIII ,The posive ceUs rate were 17. 4% ;26. 7% (4/15) of VCA,The positive cells rate were 54. 3% , and was undetectable in VINI - II and normal epithelium. In VSCC, c - met was expressed in 80% ( 8/ 10) of hyperplastic dystrophy (HD) near the carcinoma, The positive cells rate were 43. 8% , and was undetectable in lichen sclerosis( LS). c - met expression were statistically significant differences from VINI - II through VINIII to VSCC ( p < 0.05 ). The immunoreactivity to c - met antibody was strong in VSCC, and weak in VIN Iff. c - met was more intensely expressed in well differentiated VSCC (The positive cell rate were 68.7% ) than moderately and poorly differentiated VSCC (The positive cell rate were 33. 1% and 30. 3% ) ( p <0. 05). There was no statistically significant correlation between c - met expression and age,clinical stage and lymph node metastasis in VSCC(P >0.05).CONCLUSIONS1. We found in normal vulvar epithelium, c - met expression was absent which suggested that c - met is not involved in growth and differentiation of normal vulvar squamous epithelial cells.2. c - met was expressed in VSCC , VD, VIN III and VCA,From which we can see c - met expression is associated with active proliferation of cells no mat-ter whether they have different characters.3. The positive cells rate and immunoreactivity degree to c - met antibody were higher in VSCC than in VIN Iff and undetectable in VINI - II and normal epithelium which suggested c - met gene expression may be related to vulvar squamous cell malignant transformation and may be a late event in vulvar prema-lignant lesion.4. c - met was more intensely expressed in well differentiated VSCC than...
|
PDF Full Text Request