Abstract
We immunohistochemically investigated the expression of p53 oncoprotein and S-100 protein positive cells in adenoid cystic carcinomas (ACC) of the head and neck. The relationship regarding the clinicopathological parameters and patients' prognosis as well as the local control rates were also analyzed. In the examinations, tissue sections from 48 patients with a pathologic diagnosis of ACC of the head and neck surgically treated at Kurume University from 1971 through 1999 were used. No significant correlation between the expression of p53 oncoprotein and the prognostic factors was observed. On the other hand, the appearance of neck metastasis as well as distant metastasis was significantly higher in the patients with S-100 protein negative staining than in those with S-100 protein positive staining (p<0.05, p<0.01). These results indicate that the expression of S-100 protein positive cells might therefore be a prognostic factor in patients with adenoid cystic carcinomas.
