Nuclear translocation of β-catenin and decreased expression of epithelial cadherin in human papillomavirus-positive tonsillar cancer: an early event in human papillomavirus-related tumour progression?

Stenner M, Yosef B, Huebbers C U, Preuss S F, Dienes H-P, Speel E-J M, Odenthal M & Klussmann J P (2011) Histopathology58, 1117–1126 Nuclear translocation of β-catenin and decreased expression of epithelial cadherin in human papillomavirus-positive tonsillar cancer: an early event in human papillomavirus-related tumour progression? Aims: High-risk human papillomaviruses (HPVs) constitute an important risk factor for tonsillar cancer. This study describes changes in cell adhesion molecules during metastasis of HPV-related and HPV-unrelated tonsillar carcinomas. Methods and results: We examined 48 primary tonsillar carcinoma samples (25 HPV-16 DNA-positive, 23 HPV-16 DNA-negative) and their respective lymph node metastases for their HPV status and for the expression of p16, epithelial cadherin (E-cadherin), β-catenin, and vimentin. A positive HPV-specific polymerase chain reaction finding correlated significantly with p16 overexpression in both primary tumours and their metastases (P