Expression of von Hippel–Lindau tumor suppressor protein (pVHL) characteristic of tongue cancer and proliferative lesions in tongue epithelium

Table 1 Clinicopathological features of 19 tongue squamous cell carcinomas and immunohistochemistry of pVHL

Case No.	Stage	VHL LOH^a	Grade^b	pVHL^c
				Normal	Dysplasia	Tumor (differentiation)
				Normal	Dysplasia	Well	Moderate	Poor
1	II	P	1		A	++	++
2	II	P	1			++
3	II	P	1			++
4	II	P	2			++	++
5	II	N	1		A	++
6	IV	N	1			++
7	IV	N	1	++		++
8	I	N	1	++	B	++
9	II	ni	1			++
10	III	ni	1	++	C	++		+
11	I	ni	1		A	++
12	I	ni	1	++		++
13	II	ni	1		A	++	++
14	I	ni	1			++
15	II	ni	1		A	++
16	II	ni	2			++	++	+
17	IV	ni	2		A		++
18	III	ni	2		A		++
19	III	ni	3					+
Total				4	9	16	6	3

^a LOH, loss of heterozygosity, determined by single nucleotide polymorphism of the VHL gene (10). P, positive; N, negative; ni, non-informative
^b Grade 1, well-differentiated; grade 2, moderately differentiated; grade 3, poorly differentiated
^c All FFPE specimens from 19 cases were examined for histological features and immunohistochemistry of pVHL. All specimens examined were positive for pVHL: ++, strongly positive; +, weakly positive; patterns A, B and C are classifications of dysplasia determined by immunohistochemistry of pVHL together with CK13 and CK17, as shown in Fig. 2b

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