Paxillin expression levels are correlated with clinical stage and metastasis in salivary adenoid cystic carcinoma.

AIMS: To investigate the relationship between paxillin expression and clinicopathological features and metastasis in salivary adenoid cystic carcinoma (SACC).

METHODS

A total of 47 SACC were assessed histochemically for paxillin expression. Paxillin immunoreactivity was compared with histological type, clinical stage and distant metastasis.

RESULTS

Paxillin expression was identified in 57.45% of SACC as cytoplasmic staining and the expression was correlated with distant metastasis and clinical stage (P < 0.05), but not with histological type.

CONCLUSIONS

Our observations indicate that paxillin expression is upregulated in SACC. High expression of paxillin was correlated with a more advanced stage and metastasis in SACC, suggesting that paxillin is a disease marker in advanced SACC and SACC with distant metastasis, and, consequently, may have value as a therapeutic target for SACC.