Patients with high c-MYC expressing squamous cell carcinomas of the tongue show better survival than those with low and medium expressing tumours

Abstract

Background

c-MYC is a potent oncoprotein with roles in a wide range of cellular processes such as differentiation, apoptosis and growth control. Deregulation of the MYC gene is commonly seen in human tumours resulting in overexpression of the protein. Here we studied expression of c-MYC in correlation to clinical outcome in patients with primary squamous cell carcinoma of the mobile tongue.

Methods

Immunohistochemistry was used to identify c-MYC in a group of 104 tongue squamous cell carcinomas with an antibody directed against the N-terminal part of the protein. Staining was evaluated by multiplying the percentage of c-MYC expressing cells with staining intensity, giving a quick score (QS) for each tumour.

Results

All 104 tumours expressed c-MYC at varying levels. Quantitation according to percent of positive cells and staining intensity revealed that most (15/21; 71%) high expressing tumours were seen in males. Within the group of high c-MYC expressing tumours the majority were alive 2 and 5 years after treatment.

Conclusions

The present findings show that expression of c-MYC has prognostic value in squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue, and could be useful in choice of therapy.

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