[Expression of integrin-linked kinase in oral squamous cell cancinoma and its significance].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the expression patterns of integrin-linked kinase (ILK) in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC).

METHODS: The expression of ILK in 170 OSCC cases was examined by immunohistochemistry and periodic acid-schiff histochemistry.

RESULTS: ILK immunoreactivity occurred in cancer cells and(or) stroma encircling the malignant tissue. Along with the deteriorated histopathologic grade of oral cancer, there was stepwise aberration exhibiting from ILK-negative, to ILK-positive in epithelia, to ILK-positive in both epithelia and stroma, and to ILK-positive in stroma. Through non-parameter test, in both lymphatic invasion [ILK-positive in stroma in well-differentiated, moderately-differentiated and poorly-differentiated is 2% (1/50), 18% (6/33) and 64% (18/28), respectively] and non-lymphatic invasion group [ILK-positive in stroma in well-differentiated, moderately-differentiated and poorly-differentiated is 16% (4/25), 9/18 and 10/16, respectively), the expression patterns of ILK exhibited significant correlations with histopathology (F = 17.742, P < 0.001, F = 4.394, P = 0.017). ILK expression between lymphatic metastasis and non-lymphatic metastasis group was significantly different (χ(2) = 14.418, P = 0.002).

CONCLUSIONS: ILK inclines to express in stroma during the OSCC progress.