Abstract
BackgroundAmong cancers affecting the oral cavity, adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) is a relatively common malignant neoplasm. It has high rates of metastasis and recurrence and is associated with significant morbidity. During the progression of ACC, the oxygen concentration is reduced in specific areas of the tumour microenvironment, leading to intratumoural hypoxia. The expression of NOTCH1, a disintegrin and metalloproteinase 12 (ADAM-12), hypoxia-inducible factor 1 alpha (HIF-1α), and heparin-binding epidermal growth factor (HB-EGF) under hypoxic conditions has been implicated in invadopodia formation, tumour invasiveness, and metastasis. The aim of this study was to analyse the expression of these proteins to elucidate the mechanisms underlying ACC invasiveness.MethodsFifteen ACC samples and 10 normal-looking salivary gland (SG) samples were used to investigate the expression of these proteins by immunohistochemistry. Primary antibodies against NOTCH1, ADAM-12, HIF-1α, and HB-EGF were used.ResultsThe immunoexpression of all proteins was higher in ACC samples than in SG samples (p < 0.05).ConclusionsThere was increased expression of proteins associated with hypoxia and tumour invasiveness in ACC samples, which indicates a possible role of these proteins in the biological behaviour of this tumour.
Highlights
Among cancers affecting the oral cavity, adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) is a relatively common malignant neoplasm
Studies have suggested that localised proteolysis might be mediated by invadopodia, which are finger-like cellular protrusions with intrinsic proteolytic activity that have been linked to the initiation of tumour invasion and the activation of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) [4,5,6]
Our results demonstrated a high expression of NOTCH1, Fig. 1 Hypoxia-inducible factor 1 alpha (HIF-1α) Legend: Immunostaining of hypoxia-inducible factor 1 alpha in adenoid cystic carcinoma (a) and normal-looking salivary gland (b)
Summary
Among cancers affecting the oral cavity, adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) is a relatively common malignant neoplasm. It has high rates of metastasis and recurrence and is associated with significant morbidity. During the progression of ACC, the oxygen concentration is reduced in specific areas of the tumour microenvironment, leading to intratumoural hypoxia. Adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) is a relatively common malignant neoplasm that mainly affects the minor salivary glands in various regions, including the palate. It accounts for approximately 12–27% of all cases of salivary gland tumours. It was observed that oxygenpoor microenvironments favour the formation and activity of invadopodia [7,8,9].
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