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Overexpression of Activin A in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma: Association with Poor Prognosis and Tumor Progression

  • Translational Research and Biomarkers
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Annals of Surgical Oncology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Background

Both activin A, a member of transforming growth factor β superfamily, and its inhibitor follistatin have been shown to be overexpressed in various cancers. We examined the potential role of activin A and follistatin in tissue and blood samples from patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma.

Methods

For activin A and follistatin, the expression of tissue samples from 92 patients was examined by immunohistochemical study, and the serum levels of blood samples from 111 patients and 91 healthy controls were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

Results

We found that overexpression of immunohistochemically detected activin A was correlated with positive N stage, poor histological differentiation, and perineural invasion (P = 0.029, 0.002, and 0.014, respectively). In survival analyses, patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma, whose tumors overexpressed activin A, had a worse prognosis for overall survival and disease-free survival (P = 0.009 and 0.007). However, expression of follistatin in tumor was not correlated with overall survival or disease-free survival. Serum activin A and follistatin levels in 111 untreated patients were neither significantly different from those of 91 control samples nor associated with any clinicopathological manifestations. In vitro suppression of activin A expression in OC3 cells using specific interfering RNA-attenuated cell proliferation, migration, and invasiveness.

Conclusions

These findings suggest that activin A overexpression in oral squamous cell carcinomas is associated with patients’ survival and may contribute to tumor progression and metastasis.

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Acknowledgment

This study was supported by Chang Gung Memorial Hospital (Grant No. CMRPG360212 and CMRPG340481) and National Science Council (Grant No. NSC96-2314-B-182A-109-MY3), Taiwan.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Otolaryngology—Head & Neck Surgery, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital & Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Tao-Yuan, Taiwan

    Kai-Ping Chang MD, PhD, Shiau-Chin Liu BS, Tzu-Yin Ko BS & Sheng-Po Hao MD

  2. Department of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Tao-Yuan, Taiwan

    Huang-Kai Kao MD & Ming-Hui Cheng MD, MHA

  3. Molecular Medicine Research Center, Chang Gung University, Tao-Yuan, Taiwan

    Ying Liang MD

  4. Department of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Tao-Yuan, Taiwan

    Yu-Liang Chang DDS, PhD

  5. Genomic Medicine Research Core Laboratory, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Tao-Yuan, Taiwan

    Yu-Chi Lin MS, Yun-Shien Lee PhD, Chia-Lung Tsai PhD & Tzu-Hao Wang MD, PhD

  6. Department of Biotechnology, Ming Chuan University, Tao-Yuan, Taiwan

    Yun-Shien Lee PhD

  7. Graduate Institute of Clinical Medical Sciences, Chang Gung University, Tao-Yuan, Taiwan

    Chi-Neu Tsai PhD

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  1. Kai-Ping Chang MD, PhD
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Correspondence to Sheng-Po Hao MD or Chi-Neu Tsai PhD.

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Supplementary Figure A

Overexpression of activin A and follistatin (FST) in breast and lung cancer tissues. Expression (brown staining) of activin A and FST indicated that the proteins were localized in the cytoplasm of breast and lung cancer cells (scale bar = 100 μm). (PPT 7666 kb)

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Chang, KP., Kao, HK., Liang, Y. et al. Overexpression of Activin A in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma: Association with Poor Prognosis and Tumor Progression. Ann Surg Oncol 17, 1945–1956 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1245/s10434-010-0926-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1245/s10434-010-0926-2

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