Growth-regulated oncogene-1 expression is associated with angiogenesis and lymph node metastasis in human oral cancer

Growth-regulated oncogene-1 (GRO-1) is an autocrine growth factor in melanoma and is a member of the CXC family of chemokines which promote chemotaxis of granulocytes and endothelia through binding to CXC receptor 2. A previous article noted that GRO-1 was upregulated in oral cancer using a genome-wide microarray approach. We have examined the expression of GRO-1 in 9 oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) cell lines and 94 OSCC specimens. Using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction analyses, GRO-1 expressions were varied in OSCC cell lines. Of the 94 OSCC specimens, 37 (39.4%) showed GRO-1 cytoplasmic immunostaining, and microvessel density revealed a correlation between GRO-1 expression and tumor angiogenesis. GRO-1 expression was also associated with leukocyte infiltration, and lymph node metastasis. These findings suggest a possible relationship between the expression level of GRO-1 and tumor progression. Copyright (C) 2004 S. Karger AG, Basel.