Integrin expression in head and neck cancers

Neoplastic transformation results in rearrangement of the cell membrane with a breakdown of the regular expression of adhesion molecules such as integrins. A relationship may exist between the intensity of this alteration, and the form it takes, and a tumour's ability to metastatise. We studied this possibility by investigating the epithelial integrin expression of 35 head and neck squamous cell carcinomas. Two types of positivity were observed: one associated with tumours with a better prognostic index, the other with those characterized by greater malignancy.