Expression of glucose transporter-1 and -3 in the head and neck carcinoma--the correlation of the expression with the biological behaviors.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine the biological significance of glucose transporter (Glut)-1 and Glut-3 expression in head and neck carcinoma (HNC).

METHODS: We detected expression of Glut-1 and -3 in 38 HNCs and analyzed the relationship between increased expression and the biological behavior of HNCs.

RESULTS: The gene expression levels of Glut-1 and -3 in HNCs were significantly higher than those in adjacent cancer tissues or in normal tissues. The GLUT-1 gene level was correlated with the lymph node metastasis and clinical stage of 38 HNCs, and the GLUT-3 gene level was correlated with the lymph node metastasis of 38 HNCs. Of the 38 cases, 30 showed positive expression of Glut-1 protein. The Glut-1 protein expression level was related to the lymph node metastasis and clinical stage of 38 HNCs. However, there was no case that expressed Glut-3 protein. The high expression of Glut-1 gene and protein was associated with poor survival in the HNCs. GLUT-3 gene expression was not associated with the prognosis of HNCs.

CONCLUSIONS: GLUT-1 gene expression level and protein expression were correlated with lymph node metastasis, poor survival and clinical stage of HNCs. The GLUT-3 gene expression level was high in HNCs, and its expression was associated with an increased incidence of lymph node metastasis of HNCs.