An immunohistochemical study of plasma fibronectin expression in basal cell carcinoma

Kang, In Kyung; Chung, Byung Soo; Choi, Kyu Chul

Abstract

Previous observations have demonstrated that fibronectia (FN) is deposited high abundance in basal cell carcinoma (BCC) stroma. Since FN is a glycoprotein which promotes interaction between cells and extracellular matrix, it may been important component of slowly expansile carcinoma such as BCC. Furthermore, BCCs aggressiveness varies with it's histologic appearance. The authors investigated distribution of plasma FN (pFN) in 8 BCC cases with various histologic types (3 nodulocystic type, 2 infiltrative type, 2 keracotic type, 1 adenoid type) and 4 squamous cell carcinomas (SCC), which have a more aggrcisive biologic behavior than BCC using immunohistochemical staining. In normal skin, pFN was strongly positive at the clenzoepidermal junction and perivascular area with a linear pattern, and in the papillary dermis with a reticular pattern, and was weakly positive in the reticular dermis. In BCC, pFN was strongly positive in nodulocystic BCC, with the highest concentration along the periphery of the tumor island in a filamentous pattern, .hereas, it was moderately positive in adenoid, keratotic, infiltrative BCC stroma. In SCC, pFN was weakly positive around tumor the margins with a thin, coarse deposition These results show that with epidermal tumors, the degree of the pFN expression in stroma is propotional to their aggressiveness.