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[Expression of stromal CD34 and alpha-smooth muscle actin in oral invasive cancer]
Lin Shi1, Shan-zhen Sun, Zhen-guang Wang
1Institute of Pathology, School of Stomatology, Shandong University, Jinan 250012, China.
Objective:
To observe the expression of stromal CD34 and alpha-smooth muscle actin (alpha-SMA) in oral invasive cancer.
Methods:
The distribution and expression of stromal CD34 and alpha-SMA in 60 patients with invasive oral squamous cell cancer and 20 resections with tumor-free margins from 60 patients with invasive oral squamous cell cancer were examined by immunohistochemistry SP method.
Results:
Twenty cases of resections of mucosa with tumor-free margins exhibited CD34 expression in fibrocytes cytoplasm in the vicinity of vessels, mucosa and submucosa but were free of alpha-SMA expression, only the walls of muscularized vessels stained positive for alpha-SMA in the stroma. Sixty invasive oral squamous cell carcinomas were free of stromal CD34 expression, only the endothelia of small vessels stained positive for CD34, of which 53 invasive oral squamous cell carcinomas expressed stromal alpha-SMA in myofibroblasts cytoplasm.
Conclusions:
The detection of CD34 and alpha-SMA is an adjunctive tool in judging oral cancer invasion in small oral mucosa biopsy specimens based on the absence of CD34 expression paralleled by the gain of alpha-SMA in the stroma of oral invasive cancer.
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