The role of molecular margins as prognostic factors in laryngeal carcinoma in Chinese patients

Abstract

Conclusion: Molecular margins were a more important prognostic factor in laryngeal carcinoma in Chinese patients than histopathological margins. eIF4E was the most sensitive molecular index of those that we tested for in these patients. Objectives: Safe surgical margins are closely related to prognosis. The aim of the present study was to investigate the role of molecular margins, not traditional histopathological margins, as prognostic factors in laryngeal carcinoma in Chinese patients. An additional aim of the study was to investigate the prognostic significance of tumor markers in the primary site of laryngeal carcinoma. Methods: From January 1992 to January 2000, the data for 321 Chinese patients with laryngeal carcinoma who were divided into a recurrent laryngeal carcinoma group and a non-recurrent group were analyzed. Tumor markers in surgical margins and primary site, such as cyclin D1, p53, and eIF4E, were detected in the two groups with immunohistochemical staining. Results: There was a significant difference in the expression of cyclin D1, p53, and eIF4E in surgical margins between the recurrent laryngeal carcinoma group and the non-recurrent group. The eIF4E-positive rate in surgical margins was higher than that for the other two factors. There was a significant difference in cyclin D1 and p53 in the primary site of laryngeal carcinoma and no significant difference in eIF4E in the two groups.