Inflammation is associated with progression of actinic keratoses to squamous cell carcinomas in humans
- 1 May 2002
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Oxford University Press (OUP) in British Journal of Dermatology
- Vol. 146 (5), 810-815
- https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2133.2002.04720.x
Abstract
Summary Background Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is a common skin tumour that may metastasize and lead to death. We have observed that before actinic keratoses (AK) progress to SCCs they may become tender and inflamed. In some of these, histological examination shows that they are, in fact, SCCs. Objectives To study the progression of AK to SCCs. Methods We studied skin tumours from 50 patients with either asymptomatic AK, inflamed AK or SCCs, using immunocytochemistry. The diagnosis of each tumour was confirmed by histological examination. Results Studies of differentiation using heat shock protein 27 showed a stepwise loss of differentiation as the tumours progressed from asymptomatic AK, through inflamed AK to SCCs. During the inflamed AK phase, there was a marked increase in T lymphocytes and Langerhans cells: the number of infiltrating cells diminished as progression to SCC occurred. There was an increase in immunoreactive p53 and the apoptosis inhibitor bcl‐2 as tumours progressed from AK to SCCs, and a decrease in Fas and Fas ligand. Conclusions These studies have shown that progression from benign to malignant tumours may be associated with an inflammatory response, which appears to drive malignant conversion, but subsides rapidly following this conversion.Keywords
This publication has 16 references indexed in Scilit:
- The host environment promotes the development of primary and metastatic squamous cell carcinomas that constitutively express proinflammatory cytokines IL-1a, IL-6, GM-CSF, and KCClinical & Experimental Metastasis, 1998
- Genetic Alterations in Non-Melanoma Skin CancerJournal of Investigative Dermatology, 1994
- Evidence that regression in Keratoacanthoma is immunologically mediated: a comparison with squamous cell carcinomaBritish Journal of Dermatology, 1994
- Abnormalities of p53 protein expression in cutaneous disordersArchives of Dermatology, 1994
- Oxidants, antioxidants, and the degenerative diseases of aging.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 1993
- The relation between p53 mutation and p53 immunostaining in non-melanoma skin cancerBritish Journal of Dermatology, 1993
- p53 protein expression in benign and malignant skin tumoursBritish Journal of Dermatology, 1993
- The Role of Interleukins and Nitric Oxide in the Mediation of Inflammatory Pain and its Control by Peripheral AnalgesicsDrugs, 1993
- Bcl-2 is an inner mitochondrial membrane protein that blocks programmed cell deathNature, 1990
- Incidence of non-melanocytic skin cancer treated in AustraliaBMJ, 1988