CD44 and β-catenin are adhesion molecules expressed on a wide variety of cells. Failure of this expression is believed to lead to disruption of cell-cell adhesion and to neoplasia. The aim of this study was to investigate the staining intensity of CD44 and β-catenin in keratoacanthomas and squamous cell carcinomas of the skin. The proliferation index, PCNA staining, was also evaluated in these cases. The abnormal expression of β-catenin significantly predominated in squamous cell carcinomas (n = 20, 76.9%) compared with keratoacanthomas (P = 0.002, χ2 = 7.8). Most keratoacanthomas (n = 11, 61.1%) more frequently showed strong staining intensity with CD44 compared with squamous cell carcinoma (P = 0.001, χ2 = 13.7). The proliferation index was higher in squamous cell carcinoma (P = 0.000, χ2 = 12.8). These findings suggest that CD44 and β-catenin expression may have an important role in the development of malignancy and in the determination of biological features of keratoacanthoma and squamous cell carcinoma of the skin.
FoschiniM.P., MagnaniP., MarconiF., CookM.G., EusebiV.: Multiple keratoacanthomas: A case report with evidence of regression with thimic hormone.Br J Dermatology,124: 479–482, 1991.
2.
PapadavidE., PignatelliM., ZakynthinosS., KrauszT., ChuA.C.: The potential role of abnormal E-cadherin and α-, β- and γ-catenin immunoreactivity in the determination of the biological behavior of keratoacanthoma.Br J Dermatol,145: 582–589, 2001.
3.
CribierB., AschP.H., GrosshansE.: Differentiating squamous cell carcinoma from keratoacanthoma using histopathological criteria.Dermatol,199: 208–212, 1999.
4.
HodakE., JonesR.E., AckermanA.B.: Solitary keratoacanthoma is a squamous cell carcinoma.Am J Dermatopathol.15: 332–342, 1993.
5.
PatelA., HallidayG.M., CookeB.E., BarnetsonRStcC: Evidence that regression in keratoacanthoma is immunologically mediated: a comparison with squamous cell carcinoma.Br J Dermatol,131: 789–798, 1994.
6.
BehamA., ReqauerS., SoyerH.P., Beham-SchmidC.: Keratoacanthoma: a clinically distinct variant of well differentiated squamous cell carcinoma.Adv Anat Pathol,5(5): 269–280, 1998.
7.
Sanches YusE., SimonP., RequenaL., AmbrojoP., EusebioE.: Solitary keratoacanthoma: a self healing proliferation that frequently becomes malignant.Am J Dermatopathol,22(4): 305–310, 2000.
8.
LeBoitP.E.: Can we understand Keratoacanthoma?Am J Dermatopathol, 24(2): 166–168, 2002.
9.
DebruyneP., VermeulenS., MareelM.: The role of the E-cad-herin/catenin complex in gastrointestinal cancer.Acta Gastroenterol Belg,62: 393–402, 1999.
10.
RodrigoJ.P., DominguezF., AlvarezC., HerreroA., SaurezC.: Expression of E-cadherin, CD44s and CD44v6 in laringeal and pharingeal carcinomas.Am J Otolaryngol,24: 384–389, 2003.
11.
EndoK., UedaT., UeyamaJ., OhtaT., TeradaT.: Immunoreactive E-cadherin, alpha-catenin, beta-catenin, and gamma-catenin proteins in hepatocellular carcinoma.Hum Pathol,31: 558–565, 2000.
12.
TakayamaT., ShiozakiH., ShibamotoS., OkaH., KimuraY., TamuraS., InoueM., MondenT., ItoF., MondenM.: β-catenin expression in human cancers.Am J Pathol,148: 39–46, 1996.
13.
DietrichA., TanczosE., VanscheidtW., SchöpfE., SimonJ.C.: High CD44 surface expression on primary tumors of malignant melanoma correlates with increased metastatic risk and reduced survival.Eur J Cancer,33: 926–930, 1997.
14.
KarjalainenJ.M., TammiR.H., TammiM.I., EskelinenM.J., AgrenU.M., ParkkinenJ.J., AlhavaE.M., KosmaV.M.: Reduced level of CD44 and hyaluronan associated with unfavorable prognosis in clinical stage I cutaneous melanoma.Am J Pathol,157: 957–965, 2000.
15.
HirvikoskiP., TammiR., KumpulainenE., VirtaniemiJ., ParkkinenJ.J., TammiM., JohanssonR., AgrenU., KarhunenJ., KosmaV.M.: Irregular expression of hyaluronan and its CD44 receptor is associated with metastatic phenotype in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma.Virchows Arch,434: 37–44, 1999.
16.
KarvinenS., KosmaV.M., TammiM<, TammiR.: Hyaluronan, CD44 and versican in epidermal keratinocyte tumours.Br J Dermatol,148: 86–94, 2003.
KageshitaT., HambyC.V., IshiharaT., MatsumotoK., SaidaT., OnoT.: Loss of β-catenin expression associated with disease progression in malignant melanoma.Br J Dermatol,145: 210–216, 2001.
19.
HülskenJ., BirchmeierW., BehrensJ.: E-cadherin and APC complete for the interraction with b-catenin and the cytoskleton.J Cell Biol,127: 2061–2069, 1994.
20.
BehrensJ.: Control of β-catenin signaling in tumor development.Ann NY Acad Scien,910: 21–33, 2000.
21.
MaelandsmoG., HolmR., NeslandJ.M., FodstadO., FlorenesV.A.: Reduced β-catenin expression in the cytoplasm of advanced stage superficial spreading malignant melanoma.Clin Cancer Res,9: 3383–3388, 2003.
22.
MorinP.J.: β-catenin signaling and cancer.Bio Essays,21: 1021–1030, 1999.
23.
KarayiannakisA.J., NakopoulouL., GakiopouloH., KeramopoulosA., DavarisP.S., PignatelliM.: Expression patterns of β-catenin in in situ and invasive breast cancer.Eur J Surg Oncol,27: 31–36, 2001.
24.
MichaelsonJ.S., LederP.: β-catenin is a downstream effector of Wnt-mediated tumorigenesis in the mammary gland.Oncogene,20: 5093–5099, 2001.
25.
YamazakiF., AraganeY., KawadaA., TezukaT.: Immunohistochemical detection for nuclear beta-catenin in sporadic basal cell carcinoma.Br J Dermatol,145: 771–777, 2001.
26.
BrabletzT., HerrmannK., JungA., FallerG., KirchnerT.: Expression of nuclear β-catenin and c-myc is correlated with tumor size but not with proliferative activity of colorectal adenomas.Am J Pathol,156: 865–870, 2000.
27.
IchikawaT., MasumotoJ., KanekoM., SaidaT., SagaraJ., TaniguchiS.: Meosin and CD44 expression in cutaneous melanocytic tumours.Br J Dermatol,138: 763–768, 1998.
28.
BowenA.R., HanksB.A., MurphyK.J., FlorellS.R., GrossmanD.: Proliferation, apoptosis and survivin exression in keratinocytic neoplasms and hyperplasias.Am J Dermathopathol,26: 177–181, 2004.
29.
GofukuJ., ShiozakiH., TsujinakaT., InoueM., TamuraS., DokiY., MatsuiS., TsukitaS., KikkawaN., MondenM.: Expression of E-cadherin and α-catenin in patients with colorectal carcinoma.Am J Clin Pathol,111: 29–37, 1999.
30.
ApaD.D., AydinÖ, PolatA., CinelL., PolatY., EgilmezR.: 34-βE12 expression in benign and premalignant squamous lesions of skin. Relation to cell proliferation (ki-67).J Exp Clin Cancer Res,22(3): 441–445, 2003.
