OBJECTIVE: To determine the expression levels of EphA7 and MTDH and detect their clinicopathological significance in the peritumoral normal tissues and the squamous cell cancer of the tongue. METHODS: Envision immunohistochemistry was used to assay the expression levels of EphA7 and MTDH in the conventional paraffin-embedded sections from specimens of squamous cell cancer (n=45) and peritumoral normal tissues (n=10). RESULTS: The positIVe rates of EphA7 and MTDH were significantly higher in the squamous cell cancer than those in the peritumoral normal tissues ( χ(2)(EphA7)=4.14; χ(2)(MTDH)= 5.25; P < 0.05). The positIVe rates of EphA7 and MTDH expression were significantly lower in the cases of histological grade I-II,clinical stage I-II, and no-metastasis of neck lymph node than those in the histological grade III-IV, clinical stage III-IV, and metastasis of neck lymph node (P <0.05 or P <0.01). CONCLUSION The expression levels of EphA7 and/or MTDH might have important effect on the carcinogenesis and progression of tongue cancer. Overexpression of EphA7 and/or MTDH might have poor prognosis.
Adult ; Aged ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; metabolism ; pathology ; Cell Adhesion Molecules ; metabolism ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prognosis ; Receptor, EphA7 ; metabolism ; Tongue Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology