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Published on: September 20, 2024
Expression of the interleukin-21 and phosphorylated extracellular signal regulated kinase 1/2 in Kimura disease
Qing-Li Chen1, Chen-Xi Li1, Bo Shao1
1Oncological Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, Stomatology School of Xinjiang Medical University, Stomatology Research Institute of Xinjiang Province, Urumqi, China.
Objective:
To investigate the expressions of interleukin (IL)-21 and phosphorylated extracellular signal regulated kinase 1/2 (pERK1/2) in Kimura disease (KD) and to correlate the findings with clinical and prognostic variables.
Methods:
Immunohistochemical analysis of IL-21 and pERK1/2 was performed in 18 cases of KD and five gender- and age-matched control samples. Clinical data were extracted and patients followed up for a mean period of 32.1 months.
Results:
After a mean follow-up period of 32.1 months (range 1-102 months), recurrence was diagnosed as the end point for seven patients-that is, a 44% (7/16) cumulative recurrence rate. In comparison with gender- and age-matched controls, patients showed strong in situ expressions of IL-21 and pERK1/2, respectively (p<0.05). Patients with strong IL-21 staining intensity and overexpression of pERK1/2 had a lower recurrence rate than those with moderate staining intensity (p=0.049, p=0.019, respectively). However, differences were not statistically significant by gender, age, eosinophils, location, multiplicity, laterality, size, duration and primary outbreak. pERK1/2 was the independent prognostic factor (p=0.020), while age, gender, eosinophils, multiplicity, laterality, size, duration, primary outbreak and expression of IL-21 were not.
Conclusions:
This study suggests that the IL-21/pERK1/2 pathway is activated in KD, and pERK1/2 might be considered as a potential prognostic indicator in KD.
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