CCND1 AMPLIFICATION AND PROTEIN OVEREXPRESSION IN ORAL SQUAMOUS CELL CARCINOMA OF YOUNG PATIENTS

Background. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the correlation of CCND1 amplification and protein overexpression with clinicopathological features and clinical outcomes in patients younger than 41 years old with oral squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). Methods. Eighty-six young patients with oral SCC were evaluated using the tissue microarray technique, immunohistochemistry, and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). These cases were compared with 116 patients with oral cancer aged over 50 years old (controls). Results. Cyclin D1 overexpression was observed in 47.7% of tumors in the young group and in 32.8% of controls (p = .03). In the young group, CCND1 amplification and overexpression were higher than in the control patients and the differences were statistically significant. In the young group, protein overexpression correlated with diminished disease-free survival (DFS), whereas in the control patients, cyclin D1 overexpression correlated with diminished DFS and overall survival (OS). Conclusion. In both groups, amplification had no influence on prognosis. Protein overexpression was an indicator of worse DFS in both groups. (C) 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 33: 1413-1419, 2011