Purpose: To investigate the expression of ErbB3 binding protein ebp1, E-cadherin, ICAM-1 and matrix metalloproteinase-9(MMP-9) in salivary adenoid cystic carcinoma(SACC), and to explore their relationship with clinical pathological features.
Methods: Two-step immunohistochemical staining method was used to detect the expression of ebp1 E-cadherin, ICAM-1 and MMP-9 in 33 cases with human SACC and 33 with para-cancerous normal tissues. All data were analyzed with SPSS17.0 software package.
Results: Positive expression rate of ebp1 in SACC was 84.85%, lower than in normal salivary tissues(96.97%). Ebp1 expression was significantly correlated to pathological pattern and clinical stage(P<0.05), but not correlated to gender and age. Positive expression rate of ebp1 at I-II stage was higher than that of SACC at III-IV stage; in regard to pathological typing, higher expression was found in adenoid tubular type than in solid type; the positive expression rate in patients with tumor metastasis was lower than in patients without metastasis (P<0.05). Expression of ebp1 had a positive relationship with E-cadherin (r=0.851,P<0.01), while a negative relationship was found with MMP-9 (r=-0.364,P<0.05).
Conclusions: Expression of ebp1 may be associated with progression of SACC. Ebp1 has important role in the generation and evolution of adenoid cystic carcinoma, and can be used as a useful indicator for clinical assessment of tumor biological behavior and prognosis in patients with adenoid cystic carcinoma.