p63 Expression in 127 Patients with Laryngeal Cancer

Abstract

Objective (1) To evaluate the expression of p63 in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (2) To analyze its prognostic significance. Methods p63 expression was examined in 127 patients submitted to total laryngectomy between 1998 and 2000 (111 male/16 female; 69 Caucasian/58 non-Caucasian; 36- to 93-years-old, median: 58 years). 19 tumors were glottic, 16 supraglottic and 92 transglottic(15%, 13% and 72%, respectively). Two cases were stage I(1.6%), 21 were stage II(16.5%), 82 were stage III(64.6%) and 22 were stage IV(17.3%). 96 patients(75.6%) received adjuvant radiotherapy. The immunohistochemical analysis of the expression of p63 included the following scores: 0: no immunostaining; 1: immunostaining in <30% of neoplastics cells; 2: immunostaining in >30% and <70% of neoplastics cells; and 3: immunostaining in >70% of neoplastics cells. Results 62 cases had score 3; 60 had score 2; 4 had score 1; and one case did not show any expression (48.8%, 47.2%, 3.1% and 0.8%). Overall survival was 73.9% at 24 months and 59.5% at 60 months. The disease-free survival was 77.2% and 75.1%, and the disease-specific survival was 79% and 67% at 24 and 60 months respectively. Uni and multivariate analysis identified that decreased immunoexpression of protein p63 and the involvement of the hypopharynx were statistically significant factors for the risk of recurrence and death by cancer. Conclusions p63 expression was highly prevalent in laryngeal squamous cell carcinomas in the present study. Decreased p63 protein expression was statistically associated to the recurrence and death.