[Study on expression of nm23-H1 protein/NDPK-A in laryngeal carcinoma]

To investigate the expression of nm23-H1 gene in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma, immunohistochemistry was carried out with a monoclonal antibody against nm23-H1. Of 48 cancer tissues tested, 35(72.9%) showed a positive immuno-reaction for nm23-H1. The percentage of nm23-H1 positivity was significantly lower (P < 0.01) in the tumors with cervical lymph node metastasis than in those without metastasis. Moreover, the percentage of nm23-H1 positivity was significantly lower (P < 0.05) in tumors of stages III-IV than in those of stages I-II. No significant correlation was found between nm23-H1 expression and tumor sites or histopathological grades. Analyzed with following up date, we found that the overall survival was better (P < 0.01) in patients with nm23-H1 expression than in those without expression. These results suggest that nm23-H1 gene may play a role in the suppression of lymph node metastasis and tumor progression in laryngeal carcinoma, and the expression of nm23-H1 gene is a useful predictor of prognosis.