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The prognosis of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patients remains poor. The identification of high-risk subgroups is needed for the development of custom-tailored therapies. The expression of cancer-testis antigens (CTAs) has been linked to a worse prognosis in other cancer types; however, their prognostic value in HNSCC is unclear because only few patients have been examined and data on CTA protein expression are sparse. A tissue microarray consisting of tumor samples from 453 HNSCC patients was evaluated for the expression of CTA proteins using immunohistochemistry. Frequency of expression and the subcellular expression pattern (nuclear, cytoplasmic, or both) was recorded. Protein expression of melanoma antigen (MAGE)-A family CTA, MAGE-C family CTA and NY-ESO-1 was found in approximately 30, 7 and 4% of tumors, respectively. The subcellular expression pattern in particular had a marked impact on the patients' prognosis. Median overall survival (OS) of patients with (i) simultaneous cytoplasmic and nuclear expression compared to (ii) either cytoplasmic or nuclear expression and (iii) negative patients was 23.0 versus 109.0 versus 102.5 months, for pan-MAGE (p

Objectives Functional inactivation of p16 is an early and frequent event in the carcinogenesis of tumours of the head and neck region. However, the prognostic relevance of p16 protein expression for these tumours has been controversial. This study aims to examine immunohistochemical expression of p16 and HP virus in a large number of oral carcinomas, and possible correlation with clinical features of the tumours and survival of the patients. Methods Two tissue microarrays composed of 222 oral carcinomas and 427 squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck region were used for this study. Sections were stained immunohistochemically (anti-p16), and PCR analysis (HPV status) was carried out. Correlation of p16 expression/HPV status with features of tumours and with survival of the patients was analysed by means of Chi-squared test and using Kaplan–Meier analysis, respectively. Results p16 expression was found immunohistochemically in 74% of tumours, but was not significantly correlated with features of the tumours, but recurrence-free survival of the patients (P = 0.009) if located predominantly nuclear. On the other hand neither intensity of p16 expression (P = 0.41) nor HPV status (P = 0.82) had any effect on these two aspects. Conclusion Immunohistochemical expression of p16 alone provides a limited tool for diagnosis and prognosis of carcinomas of the head and neck region. Immunohistochemical analysis of p16 depending on its intracellular location might serve as a surrogate marker for HPV infection.

This study evaluates a novel adhesive fixation technique to affix cortical bone fragments to osteosynthesis plates using common PMMA cement. This technique utilizes a new amphiphilic bone bonding agent adhering with both hydrophilic bone and hydrophobic PMMA cement. After in vitro biomechanical testing of the bonding strength with explanted bovine and rabbit calvarian bone samples, osteosynthesis plates with screw holes of 1.3 and 1.5 mm were placed on the cranial bone of New Zealand white rabbits and the bond strength of these plates was determined through tension tests. In vitro bond strengths of 19.8-26.5 MPa were obtained. Control samples, prepared without a bone bonding agent, exhibited bone bonding strengths

Department of Radiation-Oncology,University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, GermanyBACKGROUND: Insulin-like growth factor II mRNA-binding protein 3 (IMP3) was found overexpressed invarious cancer types suggesting its possible role in carci-nogenesis. Analysis of IMP3 expression in head and necksquamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC) is rare so that weevaluated it using tissue microarray method.METHOD: Immunohistochemical analysis of IMP3 wasperformed on samples from over 400 patients. Theexpression was measured semiquantitative, subsequentlydivided into four categories (negative, weak, medium, orstrong) and correlated with several available clinico-pathologic parameters.RESULTS: For HNSCC, positive IMP3 expression wasobserved in patients with all tumor stages (pT1–4) andnodal stages (pN0–3), showing also significant statisti-cal correlation (P = 0.023 and P = 0.0013, respectively).No further correlations were found. Separate analysisaccording to tumor localization (oral cavity, oropharyn-geal, and laryngeal) showed a significant correlation ofpositive IMP3 expression and overall survival (P = 0.038)only in patients with tumors of the oral cavity. Multivar-iate analysis showed IMP3 as an independent predictivemarker for oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCC).CONCLUSION: Insulin-like growth factor II mRNA-binding protein 3 (IMP3) expression might be used as anindependent prognostic factor in the subgroup of OSCC.J Oral Pathol Med (2013) 42: 125–132Keywords: biomarker; head and neck squamous cell carcinoma;insulin-like growth factor II mRNA-binding protein 3; oralsquamous cell carcinoma

Background: Transcriptional activity of the heme oxygenase-1 gene (HMOX-1) is modulated by a GTn-repeat promoter polymorphism. The long GTn-repeat allele has been previously reported to be associated with increased risk of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) in male areca chewer and short GTn-repeat allele has been proposed to have protective properties in OSCC patients. The aim of the present study was to correlate the GTn-repeat genotypes with clinicopathological characteristics along with clinical outcome of non-areca chewer OSCC patients. Methods: DNA of 99 patients that underwent complete surgical resection of OSCC was analyzed for GTn-repeat polymorphism in the HMOX-1 promoter by polymerase chain reaction, capillary electrophoresis and DNA sequencing. Results: Seven SS (7.1%), 51 SL (51.5%) and 41 LL (41.4%) genotypes were found. In a total of 14 (14.1%) patients, tumor recurrence (TR) was observed. There was no TR in the SS allele carriers. In SL carriers three and in LL 11 TR occurred (P = 0.009, chi-squared test). Mean relapse-free survival was 109.2 months in SL allele carriers compared with 72.3 months in LL allele carriers (P = 0.01, log-rank test). Multivariate Cox regression modeling identified GTn-repeat genotype as an independent prognostic factor (P = 0.03; relative risk (RR) 4.1; 95% CI 1.1–14.6). Conclusion: Presence of S allele was associated with a lower TR rate and better relapse-free survival in OSCC patients. HMOX-1 promoter polymorphism might be considered as a potential prognostic marker in OSCC patients.