Correlation between lymphatic vessel density and regional metastasis in squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between lymphatic vessel density in squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue and regional metastasis.

METHODS:

Intratumoral and peritumoral lymphatic densities (ILDs and PLDs, respectively) were determined by immunohistochemical staining of lymphatic endothelial cells with podoplanin in 62 patients surgically treated for tongue cancer. Clinicopathological variables were quantified, and their correlations with regional metastasis were assessed.

RESULTS:

The rate of regional metastasis was significantly higher in patients with high ILD than that in those with low ILD (21/33, 63.6% vs 8/29, 27.5%; p = .006). Perineural invasion and lymphovascular invasion were also significantly correlated with regional metastasis. By multivariate analyses, ILD was the only variable identified to be significantly correlated with regional metastasis (p = .009). On the other hand, PLD showed no correlation with regional metastasis.

CONCLUSIONS:

ILD showed a strong correlation with regional metastasis in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue.

• Authors: Man Ki Chung, Jin-Young Min, Yoon Kyoung So, Young-Hyeh Ko, Han-Sin Jeong, Young-Ik Son, Chung-Hwan Baek
• Journal: Head & neck (Head Neck) Vol. 32 Issue 4 Pg. 445-51 (Apr 2010) ISSN: 1097-0347 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 19672869 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Topics

• Adult
• Aged
• Biopsy, Needle
• Carcinoma, Squamous Cell (mortality, pathology, secondary, surgery)
• Chi-Square Distribution
• Cohort Studies
• Female
• Humans
• Immunohistochemistry
• Lymphatic Metastasis (pathology)
• Lymphatic Vessels (pathology)
• Male
• Middle Aged
• Neoplasm Invasiveness (pathology)
• Neoplasm Staging
• Probability
• Prognosis
• Retrospective Studies
• Risk Assessment
• Sensitivity and Specificity
• Statistics, Nonparametric
• Survival Analysis
• Tongue Neoplasms (mortality, pathology, surgery)
• Young Adult