Configuring the Expression of Wilms Tumor 1 in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma and Its Relationship with Clinicopathologic Features

Research Article

J Dent App. 2016; 3(4): 349-352.

Configuring the Expression of Wilms Tumor 1 in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma and Its Relationship with Clinicopathologic Features

Fattahi S¹, Rahmani SZ²*, Vosoughhosseini S³ and Rahmani SP4

¹Assistant Professor, Pathology Department, Dentistry Faculty of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran

²Dentistry Student, Gingiva Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran

³Professor, Pathology Department, Dentistry Faculty of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran

4Dentistry Student, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran

*Corresponding author: Seyedeh Zahra Rahmani, Gingiva Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran

Received: November 15, 2016; Accepted: December 12, 2016; Published: December 14, 2016

Abstract

Introduction: The most common oral cancer is Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SCC) that a wide variety of environmental factors has caused complex etiology in terms of prevalence presentation also a significant correlation between the levels of WT1 expression and prognosis of the disease has been reported.

Materials and Methods: For This descriptive - analytical study samples were collected from the archives of Pathology Department of Imam Reza Hospital Tabriz and Department of Pathology of Dentistry School. In this study, data from patients’ records and results of Immunohistochemical staining (IHC) were collected in the laboratory. After a review of the histopathologic grade we compared them with the data records to ensure the accuracy grade and then were compared with the results of immunohistochemistry. Chi-square test and comparison of independent groups was analyzed using statistical software spss16.

Results: From 45 cases, expression of WT1 has been reported in 3 cases (6.2%) and all of them were well-differentiated. The mean age of the participants was 66.42 (±16.06) years, which 16 cases were female (35.6%) and 29 cases were male (64.6%). Histopathologic grade was well-differentiated in 36 cases (80%), 2 cases had poorly-differentiated grade (4/4%), and moderatelydifferentiation was reported in 7 cases (6.15%). There was not significant relation between histopathologic grade and WT1 expression.

Conclusion: Further studies about investigating of the possibility of treatment with immunotherapy based WT1 peptide as an effective treatment in cases with increased expression of WT1, are suggested.

Keywords: Oral Cancer; Wilms’ Tumor; Staining; Expression; Gene

Introduction

Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is the most common type of oral cancer, and a wide variety of environmental factors contribute to its complex etiology [1]. The Wilms’ tumor (WT1) gene is a tumor suppressor gene found on chromosome 13p11. Mutations in WT1 play a role in the pathogenesis of Wilms’ tumor [2,3], a pediatric renal neoplasm. WT1 plays an important role in the development of the kidney. Sites of variant tissues during nephrogenesis and germline mutations in WT1 are associated with abnormal development of the urogenital tract and are frequently associated in Denys-Drash syndrome [1-5].

In healthy individuals, WT1 is expressed in the kidneys, gonads, urinary tract, decidua, skeletal muscle, mesothelium, muscles, and bladder. High levels of WT1 have been reported in breast and lung cancers [6], and high levels of WT1 in leukemia are significantly correlated with poor prognosis [7-9].

Expression of WT1 varies across solid tumors such as colon, lung, breast, testicular, ovarian, urinary tract, liver, and thyroid. WT1 is an active factor in oncogenic leukogenesis and can also act as a tumorigenic factor in solid tumors [10-11].

WT1 overexpression has also been reported in many cancers such as pancreatic cancer, urinary tract and male genital organ cancers, soft tissue cancer, and malignant melanoma [12]. Mounting evidence suggests a role for WT1 in tumorigenesis. As such, WT1 peptidebased immunotherapy has been proposed as a useful method with a high potential for cancer therapy.

Very few studies have reported on the association of WT1 with SCC. Because of the mechanism of action of WT1, the association with oral SCC (OSCC) remains unclear [13]. In 2013, Mikami et al. studied the relationship between OSCC and WT1 expression, and they determined that WT1 may play an important role in the pathogenesis of some subgroups of OSCC [14].

Due to the limited research about the role of WT1 in OSCC and because of the different causes of cancer in different societies, the aim of this study was to explore the relationship of WT1 expression with clinicopathologic variables in OSCC. A definitive role for WT1 in OSCC carcinogenesis would suggest the use of WT1 peptide-based immunotherapy as a novel approach to cancer treatment.

Materials and Methods

For this descriptive analytical study, samples were collected from the archives of the Pathology Department of Imam Reza Hospital Tabriz and the Department of Pathology of the Dentistry School of Tabriz medical sciences university. The study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences. Data from patient records and results of immunohistochemical (IHC) staining were collected. After a review of the histopathologic grade, we compared the samples with the patient records to ensure the accuracy of grading. We then compared the grading with the results of the IHC.

Tissue samples

A total of 45 cases of OSCC diagnosed between 2006 and 2014 were selected from the paraffin-embedded tissue archives in the Pathology Department at the Dentistry University and Imam Reza Hospital of Tabriz. Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue sections (4lm thick) were used for histopathological analyses. The sections were placed in a microwave for 10 min in 10mm citrate buffer (pH 6.0) for antigen retrieval. Peroxidase activity in the sections was blocked with 0.3% H2O2 and they were incubated with mouse anti-human WT1 monoclonal antibody (1:100, M3561; Dako) at room temperature for 1 hour. The samples were then processed with Dako Envision + Dual Link System-HRP (K4063; Dako) for 45min, and immunoreactive WT1 protein was visualized with 3,3'-diaminobenzidine using Dako Cytomation Liquid DAB+ Substrate Chromogen System (K3467; Dako). Statistical analysis was performed by Chi-square test, and for comparison of independent groups, we used SPSS software v.19 (SPSS, Chicago, IL, USA) [16].

Results

The samples used in this study were taken from 45 different patients. The mean age of the subjects was 66.42 (± 16.06) years. Sixteen were female (35.6%) and 29 (64.6%) were male.

Three samples (6.7%) out of 45 were positive for WT1, and 42 samples were negative (Figure 1 and 2). The majority of the samples (36, 80%) were well-differentiated, 2 samples (4.4%) had a poorly-differentiated grade, and in 7 samples (15.6%), moderate differentiation was reported.

Citation: Fattahi S, Rahmani SZ, Vosoughhosseini S and Rahmani SP. Configuring the Expression of Wilms Tumor 1 in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma and Its Relationship with Clinicopathologic Features. J Dent App. 2016; 3(4): 349-352. ISSN:2381-9049