Objective: To establish the prognostic significance of the expression of adhesion molecules E-cadherin, CD44s and CD44v6 in squamous cell carcinomas of the supraglottic larynx.
Material and methods: The expression of the studied molecules was determined by immunohistochemistry in paraffin-embedded tissue specimens from 101 patients.
Results: The expression of the three molecules was reduced in carcinomas compared to normal epithelium. The cases with recurrence showed an E-cadherin and CD44s expression significantly lower than those cases without recurrence. Reduced expression of any of the three molecules correlated with a decrease in survival, although the differences were not significant. In multivariate analysis only nodal stage (N) was an independent prognostic factor.
Conclusions: Although reduced expression of E-cadherin, CD44s and CD44v6 seems to be related to a poor prognosis in supraglottic squamous cell carcinomas, these changes do not offer a useful adjunct to current prognostic indicators.