New treatment methods of oral squamous cell carcinoma ~examined with cytokeratin 17~

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25861955
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Surgical dentistry
• Research Institution: Kyushu University
• Principal Investigator: Ryoji Kitamura 九州大学, 歯学研究院, 共同研究員 (60637338)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: サイトケラチン１７ / サイトケラチン１９ / サイトケラチン２０ / 口腔扁平上皮癌 / 予後因子 / 末梢血単核球

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Cytokeratins (CKs) are intermediate filaments of the cytoskeleton and candidate prognostic biomarkers for OSCC, as they are over-expressed in OSCC compared with normal mucosa. The aim of this study was to determine the relative levels of CK17, CK19 and CK20 mRNAs in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) using real-time RT-PCR. The study comprised pre- and post-operative PBMC samples from 20 OSCC patients, from which, CK17, CK19 and CK20 mRNA was examined by real-time RT-PCR. In the good-prognosis group, 10 of 13 patients showed reduced CK17 mRNA expression in their post-operative compared with pre-operative samples, conversely, only three of six patients in the poor-prognosis group had reduced post-operative CK17 expression. This difference was statistically significant (p<0.01). In conclusion, CK17 expression may be a useful prognostic biomarker for OSCC.

Free Research Field

口腔外科