Objective: To investigate the clinical implication and the expression of CD44v6 and MMP-9 protein in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC).
Method: Twenty-seven samples of LSCC and eight biopsies of adjacent non-cancerous tissue were detected with immunohistochemical technique (SABC method). The relationship between positive expression of CD44v6 or MMP-9 in LSCC and invasion or metastasis was analyzed.
Result: Both CD44v6 and MMP-9 overexpressed in LSCC. The positive expression of CD44v6 was correlated with LSCC pathologic grade, cervical lymph node metastasis and postoperation survival rate (P < 0.05). The expression of MMP-9 was positively correlated with clinical staging and cervical lymph node metastasis (P < 0.05). There was a significant positive correlation between the expression of CD44v6 and MMP-9 (P < 0.01).
Conclusion: There is a relationship between the expression of CD44 and MMP-9. CD44v6 and MMP-9 might be served as an objective indicator for lymph nodal metastatic potency, tumor invasion and prognosis in LSCC.