[1040] Biomarkers of Invasion in Cervical Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

Ana Felix, Fernanda Silva, Sergio Dias. Instituto Português de Oncologia e Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, Lisboa, Portugal; Instituto Português de Oncologia, Lisboa, Portugal

Background: The capacity of neoplastic cells to invade and metastasize depends on different factors, namely on the ability to establish new complex interactions of cellular adhesion molecules and the extracellular matrix (ECM) components. Laminin γ2 chain (lamγ2) plays an important role during tumor invasion and integrins are primary receptors mediating ECM remodeling. Our aim was to identify biomarkers of invasion in cervical squamous cell carcinomas.
Design: Laminin5 (Lamγ2) α2; α3; α5 and αV integrins immunoexpression was evaluated in a tissue microarray (TMA) constructed with representative regions (formalin fixed and paraffin embedded tumor samples) of 81 cervical squamous cell carcinomas (11 being in situ and the remaining 70 were invasive) and appropriate controls. Staining was evaluated both in cells and in the ECM.
Results: Lamγ2 was present in the ECM (basement membrane) in all in situ carcinomas (CINIII) and also in the cytoplasm of very few cells, in two cases. In contrast, intracytoplasmatic lamγ2 was present in 59 cases of invasive SCC (see table 1). This difference was significant (p<0.0001). Regarding integrins, we found that α5 integrin was overexpressed in invasive tumor. This finding was also significantly correlated with invasion (p=0.0043). In invasive tumors α5 and αv (cell membrane) integrins were significantly correlated with the presence of intra-cytoplasmatic lamγ2 expression (p= 0.0009 and p=0.0053, respectively).

Immunohistochemical results

Diagnosis	Nº cases	Location	Lamγ2	Integrins
				α2	α3	α5	αv
		ECM	100%	36%	not found	not found	9%
CIN III	11	Cell cytoplasm	18%	9%	73%	0%	55%
		Cell membrane	not found	91%	73%	0%	55%
		ECM	86%	21%	not found	not found	29%
SCC	70	Cytoplasm	80%	21%	63%	40%	71%
		Cell membrane	not found	86%	63%	40%	71%

ECM - extracellular matrix; SCC - Squamous cell carcinoma


Conclusions: 1) Intracytoplasmatic laminin γ2 is a good marker of stroma invasion.
2) Invasive cell phenotype in cervical squamous carcinoma is significantly associated with the presence of intracytoplasmatic lamγ2 and α5 integrin.
3) These results suggest that invasion in cervical cancer is predominantly by α5 and αv integrins.
Category: Gynecologic & Obstetrics

Tuesday, March 1, 2011 9:30 AM

Poster Session III # 213, Tuesday Morning