Objective: To study the expression of fragile histidine triad (FHIT) protein in rhabdomyosarcoma(RMS) and the possible mechanisms of its effect on tumor.
Methods: Immunohistochemical technique(SP) was used to detect the expression of FHIT in 44 cases of RMS and 20 cases of normal skeletal muscles.
Results: Reduced expression of FHIT was 68.2% (30/44) in the cases of RMS, and was 35% (7/20) in the cases of normal skeletal muscles; a significant difference was seen between the two groups(P < 0.05). There was no significant relationship of the expression of FHIT with the sex of the patient and the histological type and grade of the tumor(P > 0.05). However, a significant relationship was observed between the expression of FHIT and the prognosis of the tumor in respect to relapse and metastasis of tumor(P < 0.05).
Conclusion: The reduced expression of FHIT may play an important role in the development and progression of rhabdomyosarcoma, and thus may become a new prognostic marker in RMS.