[A pilot study on hypoxia of squamous cell carcinoma in oral cavity].

OBJECTIVE

To examine the extent of hypoxia in oral squamous cell carcinoma and investigate the factors related to the hypoxia.

METHODS

An animal model of oral squamous cell carcinoma was established and single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) with 99mTc-HL91 used to detect the hypoxia extent of the oral squamous cell carcinoma. The expression of hypoxia inducible factor 1 alpha (HIF-1alpha) was examined by immunohistochemical staining in 42 cases of formalin-fixed paraffin-embed squamous cell carcinoma.

RESULTS

The uptake of 99mTc-HL91 in the tumor tissue was higher than that in normal tissue and had linear relation with the tumor size (P < 0.05). There was no HIF-1alpha expression in the normal oral mucosa. The expression of HIF-1alpha was high in oral mucosa carcinoma and closely related to the differentiation degree of tumor and metastasis of lymph node (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Tumor tissue had broad hypoxic region. HIF-1alpha highly expressed in oral squamous cell carcinoma and may play an important role in carcinogenesis and aggression.