Angiopoietin-1 and -2 expression in recurrent squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity

Background and Objectives: Our objective was to evaluate the clinical significance of angiopoietin-1 (Ang-1) and Ang-2 expression in recurrent but operable squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity (OCSCC). Patients and Methods: Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues from 40 patients who underwent surgical intervention for local or local-regional recurrent OCSCC between 1995 and 2005 were immunohistochemically analyzed for Ang-1 and Ang-2 expression. Results: The recurrent TNM staging classified 5 patients as stage 1,4 as stage II, 2 as stage III, and 29 as stage IV. The actuarial 3-year disease-free survival rate was 43.1% with a mean follow-up of 18.4 months (ranged 1-70 months). High expression of Ang-1 was significantly correlated with positive nodal stage (P = 0.041). Patients with more advanced recurrent stage of the tumors (P = 0.0036) and high expression of Ang-2 (P = 0.045) showed lower actuarial 3-year disease-free survival. However, Cox's regression analysis revealed that only recurrent tumor (rT) stage was an independent prognostic factor for survival (P = 0.019, 95% CI = 1.473-82.017, relative risk = 10.992). Conclusions: Recurrent OCSCC with high Ang-1 or Ang-2 expression in the tumor bed exhibits aggressive tumor behavior. However, the salvage outcome depends on the rT stage.