CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF ANNEXIN A2 DOWNREGULATION IN ORAL SQUAMOUS CELL CARCINOMA

Background. The purpose of this study was to determine the expression of Annexin A2 (ANXA2) in normal oral epithelium and in oral carcinomas to correlate these findings with prognostically relevant variables. Methods. ANXA2 expression in normal oral mucosa and in 106 oral squamous cell carcinomas was examined by immunohistochemistry. Results. ANXA2 expression was detected in basal and suprabasal cell layers of normal epithelium, and immunostaining was preferentially membrane-localized. ANXA2 expression was significantly correlated with the histopathological grade, tumor size, and recurrence, but ANXA2 expression was not an independent prognostic factor. Conclusion. The reduction of ANXA2 expression in poorly differentiated tumors is expected to result in a loss of function aimed at the coordination of membrane signaling enzyme complexes. The consequences may manifest as an alteration of epithelial tissue growth and remodeling which eventually exert an influence on tumor progression and metastasis (C) 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 33: 1708-1714, 2011