Apoptosis index is a predictor of metastatic phenotype in patients with early stage squamous carcinoma of the tongue

Abstract

A higher AI value is a predictor of LN metastasis and may serve as a prognostic factor in patients with early stage squamous carcinoma of the oral tongue. The authors present a hypothesis to explain this rather surprising finding.

Expression of fascin in oral and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinomas has prognostic significance – a tissue microarray study of 129 cases

“…Nevertheless, great emphasis has been placed on the determination of prognostic factors in cases of OSCC. Many systems have been devised, based not only on the clinical parameters relating to the patient and the tumour, but also histological and immunohistochemical markers 6–10 . Currently, there is not a reliable biomarker to determine prognosis in OSCC patients.…”

“…Many systems have been devised, based not only on the clinical parameters relating to the patient and the tumour, but also histological and immunohistochemical markers. [6][7][8][9][10] Currently, there is not a reliable biomarker to determine prognosis in OSCC patients. Two major causes of mortality in cancer patients, tumour invasion and metastasis, are the result of several sequential steps in cancer behaviour.…”

Somatic evolution of head and neck cancer — Biological robustness and latent vulnerability

“…Indeed, examples of bizarre molecular circuitry of HNSCC have been demonstrated in clinical samples (Homma et al., 1999; Lo Muzio et al., 2005; Naresh et al., 2001; Pena et al., 1999; Wilson et al., 2001). In several studies, the increased Bcl‐2 expression or low‐apoptotic index paradoxically associated with favorable outcomes in patients with early stage HNSCC (Homma et al., 1999; Lo Muzio et al., 2005; Naresh et al., 2001; Pena et al., 1999; Wilson et al., 2001). These counterintuitive findings may imply that in a subset of early stage HNSCC, anti‐apoptotic signals protect cancer cells from apoptosis in order to maintain a net volume of tumor mass that is mainly composed of less progressive and therefore slow‐growing cell population.…”

Angiogenic ability of metastatic squamous carcinoma in the cervical lymph nodes from unknown primary tumours

“…Hence, non-angiogenic tumours will have a high cell turnover. Thus, subclinical tumours persisting for a protracted time period are more complex and advanced 42 43. Lack of angiogenesis leads to disappearance of the tumour in most cases.…”