MUC1 Expression in Human Tongue Cancer

Objectives: Mucins are high-molecular-weight glycoproteins with oligosaccharides attached to serine or threonine residues of the mucin core protein backbone by o-glycosidic linkages. In recent reports, MUC1 mucin is associated with the invasive growth of tumors and poor outcome for patients.

Methods: We performed immunohistochemical staining of MUC1 and analyzed the relation with the clinicopathologic characteristics in human tongue cancers.Oral biopsy specimens from 30 cases (13 men, 17 women) of tongue cancer diagnosed and treated at Jichi Medical University Hospital were studied. The mean age of patients was 60.5 years (range, 35 to 84 years). Clinical information of the patients was reviewed, and statistical analysis was performed using the chi-square test.

Results: The overall MUC1 positivity was 60%. The percentage of MUC1-positive specimens in the T3+T4 group was higher than that in the T1+T2 group. The percentage of MUC1-positive specimens in the pN-positive group was slightly higher than that in the pN-negative group. A higher percentage of MUC1 expression was shown in the advanced (4C) mode of the invasion (classification by Yamamoto and Kohama) group compared with that of the (2+3) mode of the invasion group. The percentage of MUC1-positive specimens in the postoperative neck lymph node metastasis group was higher than that in the no-metastasis group. However, statistical significance was not found.

Conclusions: MUC1 was preferentially expressed in advanced and metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue and appears to be a predictive marker for lymph node metastasis.