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Monitoring of gene-expression profiles is assumed to refine tumor characterization of laryngeal squamous cell carcinomas (LSCCs) with a therapeutic perspective. This is especially expected for adhesion/growth-regulatory effectors such as galectins, a class of endogenous lectins. Using computer-assisted microscopy, we investigated the prognostic value contributed by the quantitative determination of the immunohistochemical levels of expression of galectin-1, -3 and -7 in a series of 62 LSCCs including 42 low- and 20 high-stage LSCCs. As galectin-1 may have a key role leading to a tumor escape from immune surveillance, we also investigated whether or not the level of galectin-1 expression correlated with lymphocyte infiltration in LSCCs. The immunohistochemical determination of expression of galectin-1 is of prognostic value in human squamous laryngeal cancers. LSCCs that display high levels of galectin-1 have worse prognoses than laryngeal cancers with low levels of galectin-1 expression. Elevation of galectin-1 levels in laryngeal cancers can contribute to the process of tumor immune escape by killing the activated T-cells and other protumoral activities such as promoting motility or activity of oncogenic H-Ras proteins. The quantitative determination of galectin-1 in LSCCs is an independent prognostic marker when opposed to TNM staging. It has the potential to identify patients unlikely to benefit from T-cell-mediated immunotherapy, although the definitive effector function from its pro- and antitumoral activity profile has not been delineated.

Background: Eighty percent of hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma patients have advanced stages (III and IV) of the disease, and biological markers are required to predict high-risk head and neck squamous cell carcinoma patients in need of highly aggressive treatments after surgery to improve the survival rate. We analyzed the potential prognostic value of galectin 7 in a series of 81 stage IV hypopharyngeal SCCs because galectin 7 is an emerging marker involved in the epidermal development of pluristratified epithelia and in epidermal cell migration., Methods: The immunohistochemical expression of galectin 7 was determined on a series of 81 stage IV hypopharyngeal SCCs and was compared with that of galectins 1 and 3., Results: High levels of galectin 7 expression were associated with rapid recurrence rates and dismal prognoses in these 81 stage IV hypopharyngeal SCCs, a feature not observed with galectin 3 and one observed weakly, if at all, with galectin 1., Conclusions: These data suggest that the immunohistochemical determination of galectin 7 expression in the case of high-risk hypopharyngeal cancers is a meaningful tool to identify patients who should benefit from aggressive postsurgical adjuvant therapy after surgery, including not only radiotherapy, but also chemotherapy.