CD44+/CD133+ immunophenotype and matrix metalloproteinase-9: Influence on prognosis in early-stage oral squamous cell carcinoma.

Background The purpose of this study was to investigate the expression of CD44 and/or CD133 immunophenotypes and the associated effects of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) in early-stage oral squamous cell carcinomas (SCC) to assess their influence on tumor prognosis. Methods The following data were derived from 150 patients: age, sex, primary anatomic site, smoking status, alcohol intake, recurrence, metastases, histological classification, treatment, disease-free survival (DFS), and overall survival (OS). Immunohistochemical study of CD44, CD133, and MMP-9 expression was performed on a tissue microarray of 150 paraffin blocks of oral SCCs. Results The predominant immunophenotype identified to exhibit a significant correlation with MMP-9 was the CD44+/CD133+. Multivariate analyses identified a significant correlation of OS with surgical treatment and with CD44+/CD133+ immunophenotype. Conclusion This investigation demonstrated the prognostic importance of CD44/CD133 expression, which can help improve the prognostic value of surgical treatment for oral SCCs when diagnosed in early stages. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 36: 1718–1726, 2014