Abstract:

Abstract:Objective To observe the expressions of α-catulin and E-cadherin in tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC)  tissue,and to explore
 their relationship with the occurrence and development of TSCC.Methods The expressions of α-catulin and E-cadherin in 55 cases of TSCC tissue and 10 cases
 of normal tongue tissue were examined by immunohistochemistry SP method.The relationship between the expressions and the clinicopathological characteristics
 and the relevance of the expressions of α-catulin and E-cadherin in TSCC tissue were analyzed.Results The positive expression rates of α-catulin in TSCC tissue and normal tongue tissue were 69.09% and 20.00%, respectively,and there was   difference between them (P<0.01).The expression of α-catulin was correlated to the histological differentiation,clinical stage and lymph node metastases of TSCC (P<0.05).The positive expression rates of E-cadherin in TSCC tissue and normal tongue tissue were 38.18% and 80.00%, respectively,and there  was significant  difference between them (P<0.01).The expression of E-cadherin was correlated to the clinical stage and lymph node metastases of TSCC ( P<0.05).There was a negative correlation between the expressions of α-catulin and E-cadherin in TSCC tissue（r=－0.466，P<0.01).
Conclusion The expressions of α-catulin and E-cadherin may be associated with the occurrence and development of TSCC,and they could be used as the parameters which predict the malignant degree and prognosis of TSCC.

Key words: tongue squamous cell carcinoma, &alpha, -catulin, E-cadherin, epithelial-mesenchymal transition