Interleukin-33 Expression Indicates a Favorable Prognosis in Malignant Salivary Gland Tumors. (August 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Rössle, Matthias; Cathomas, Gieri; Bonapace, Laura; Sachs, Melanie; Dehler, Silvia; Storz, Martina; Huber, Gerhard; Moch, Holger; Junt, Tobias; Mertz, Kirsten D.
• Is Part Of: International journal of surgical pathology. Volume 24:Number 5(2016)
• Page Start: 394
• Page End: 400
• Publication Date: 2016-08
• Subjects: interleukin-33 -- salivary gland -- immunohistochemistry -- prognosis -- tissue microarray -- biomarker; Pathology, Surgical -- Periodicals; 617.07
• DOI: 10.1177/1066896916633856
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1066-8969

Abstract

The cytokine interleukin-33 (IL-33) is abundantly expressed in epithelial barrier tissues such as salivary glands. Here, we characterized nuclear IL-33 protein expression by immunohistochemistry in benign and malignant salivary gland tumors and associated it with disease outcome. Most benign salivary gland tumors expressed IL-33, and all Warthin's tumors showed strong and consistent IL-33 expression in the basally oriented cells of their bilayered epithelium. In the malignant group of neoplasms, nuclear IL-33 expression was limited to specific tumor entities—for example, to epithelial-myopepithelial carcinomas (n = 9/11), acinic cell carcinomas (n = 13/27), and oncocytic carcinomas (n = 2/2). IL-33 expression in the combined group of malignant salivary gland neoplasms was significantly associated with favorable histological parameters, lack of metastasis, and longer overall survival, compared with IL-33–negative tumors. We conclude that IL-33 expression is a novel prognostic marker for malignant salivary gland tumors with potential use in clinical diagnostics.