The clinicopathological significance of bcl-2 expression in the surgical treatment of laryngeal carcinoma

Bcl-2 expression was studied by immunohistochemistry on laryngectomy specimens from 176 patients. Of the 176 tumours, 11% had positive bcl-2 staining. Bcl-2 expression was significantly correlated with tumour grade: 5% of well-differentiated tumours, 12% of moderately-differentiated tumours and 23% of poorly-differentiated tumours had positive expression of bcl-2. Nodal metastases were also found to be significantly related to bcl-2 expression: 36% of nodal metastases for negative bcl-2 expression compared with 70% for positive expression. The risk of nodal metastases increased significantly with the presence of bcl-2 expression, moderate or poor differentiation and supraglottic involvement. The risk of nodal metastases increased significantly with the presence of increasing numbers of risk factors: 11% without risk factor, 21% with one risk factor, 49% with two risk factors and 77% with three risk factors. Bcl-2 expression in laryngeal carcinoma is significantly correlated with tumour grade and nodal metastases. It has added prognostic value for nodal metastases together with tumour grade and site of tumour involvement.