Biomaterial Database

The erbB oncogenes as prognostic markers in oral squamous cell carcinomas. 1996

R Werkmeister, and B Brandt, and U Joos

Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Universitätsklinik der Westfälischen-Wilhelms-Universität, Münster, Germany.

BACKGROUND In clinical practice it became clear that conventional prognostic parameters of oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCC) are of limited value for the prediction of a disease-free survival. The overexpression of erbB oncogenes is of importance for the clinical course of a variety of solid tumors. After discovering amplifications of erbB oncogenes even in OSCC, it was the aim of the present study to clarify the potential of oncogenes as additional prognostic markers. METHODS The amplification of the erbB oncogenes in tumorous tissue of 85 OSCC patients was determined using the double-differential polymerase chain reaction. Histologically healthy mucosa in these patients was also studied. In univariate analysis the amplification of erbB oncogenes with clinical and histopathological prognostic parameters was compared. RESULTS No significant correlation between common prognostic parameters and erbB-2 amplification was found. Patients whose OSCC tissue showed an average gene copy number for erbB-2 of greater than 1.2, for erbB-3 below 0.11, and a ratio of erbB-1 and erbB-2 below 0.31 had a statistically significant decrease in disease-free survival. Even in histologically healthy oral mucosa from tumor patients an amplification of erbB oncogenes was found. CONCLUSIONS ErbB oncogene amplifications in oral squamous cell carcinomas play a significant role as a prognostic factor and seem to be effective in predicting decrease in disease-free survival. Genetic abnormalities in tumor-surrounding tissue support the field cancerization hypothesis.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D009062	Mouth Neoplasms	Tumors or cancer of the MOUTH.	Cancer of Mouth,Mouth Cancer,Oral Cancer,Oral Neoplasms,Cancer of the Mouth,Neoplasms, Mouth,Neoplasms, Oral,Cancer, Mouth,Cancer, Oral,Cancers, Mouth,Cancers, Oral,Mouth Cancers,Mouth Neoplasm,Neoplasm, Mouth,Neoplasm, Oral,Oral Cancers,Oral Neoplasm
D011379	Prognosis	A prediction of the probable outcome of a disease based on a individual's condition and the usual course of the disease as seen in similar situations.	Prognostic Factor,Prognostic Factors,Factor, Prognostic,Factors, Prognostic,Prognoses
D002294	Carcinoma, Squamous Cell	A carcinoma derived from stratified SQUAMOUS EPITHELIAL CELLS. It may also occur in sites where glandular or columnar epithelium is normally present. (From Stedman, 25th ed)	Carcinoma, Epidermoid,Carcinoma, Planocellular,Carcinoma, Squamous,Squamous Cell Carcinoma,Carcinomas, Epidermoid,Carcinomas, Planocellular,Carcinomas, Squamous,Carcinomas, Squamous Cell,Epidermoid Carcinoma,Epidermoid Carcinomas,Planocellular Carcinoma,Planocellular Carcinomas,Squamous Carcinoma,Squamous Carcinomas,Squamous Cell Carcinomas
D005784	Gene Amplification	A selective increase in the number of copies of a gene coding for a specific protein without a proportional increase in other genes. It occurs naturally via the excision of a copy of the repeating sequence from the chromosome and its extrachromosomal replication in a plasmid, or via the production of an RNA transcript of the entire repeating sequence of ribosomal RNA followed by the reverse transcription of the molecule to produce an additional copy of the original DNA sequence. Laboratory techniques have been introduced for inducing disproportional replication by unequal crossing over, uptake of DNA from lysed cells, or generation of extrachromosomal sequences from rolling circle replication.	Amplification, Gene
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D012307	Risk Factors	An aspect of personal behavior or lifestyle, environmental exposure, inborn or inherited characteristic, which, based on epidemiological evidence, is known to be associated with a health-related condition considered important to prevent.	Health Correlates,Risk Factor Scores,Risk Scores,Social Risk Factors,Population at Risk,Populations at Risk,Correlates, Health,Factor, Risk,Factor, Social Risk,Factors, Social Risk,Risk Factor,Risk Factor Score,Risk Factor, Social,Risk Factors, Social,Risk Score,Score, Risk,Score, Risk Factor,Social Risk Factor
D016133	Polymerase Chain Reaction	In vitro method for producing large amounts of specific DNA or RNA fragments of defined length and sequence from small amounts of short oligonucleotide flanking sequences (primers). The essential steps include thermal denaturation of the double-stranded target molecules, annealing of the primers to their complementary sequences, and extension of the annealed primers by enzymatic synthesis with DNA polymerase. The reaction is efficient, specific, and extremely sensitive. Uses for the reaction include disease diagnosis, detection of difficult-to-isolate pathogens, mutation analysis, genetic testing, DNA sequencing, and analyzing evolutionary relationships.	Anchored PCR,Inverse PCR,Nested PCR,PCR,Anchored Polymerase Chain Reaction,Inverse Polymerase Chain Reaction,Nested Polymerase Chain Reaction,PCR, Anchored,PCR, Inverse,PCR, Nested,Polymerase Chain Reactions,Reaction, Polymerase Chain,Reactions, Polymerase Chain
D018734	Genes, erbB-2	The erbB-2 gene is a proto-oncogene that codes for the erbB-2 receptor (RECEPTOR, ERBB-2), a protein with structural features similar to the epidermal growth factor receptor. Its name originates from the viral oncogene homolog (v-erbB) which is a truncated form of the chicken erbB gene found in the avian erythroblastosis virus. Overexpression and amplification of the gene is associated with a significant number of adenocarcinomas. The human c-erbB-2 gene is located at 17q21.2.	Genes, HER-2,Genes, neu,c-erbB-2 Genes,erbB-2 Genes,Genes, HER2,Genes, erbb2,c-erbB-2 Proto-Oncogenes,Gene, HER2,Gene, erbb2,HER-2 Gene,HER-2 Genes,HER2 Gene,HER2 Genes,c erbB 2 Genes,c erbB 2 Proto Oncogenes,c-erbB-2 Gene,c-erbB-2 Proto-Oncogene,erbB 2 Genes,erbB-2 Gene,erbb2 Gene,erbb2 Genes,neu Gene,neu Genes