Fascin Over Expression is Associated with Dysplastic Changes in Sinonasal Inverted Papillomas: A Study of 47 Cases

Abstract

Sinonasal inverted papilloma (IP) is a primary benign lesion with a tendency for local recurrence. Malignant transformation may develop in up to 15% of cases. Fascin (Fascin 1) is an actin cross-link binding protein required for the formation of actin-based cell-surface protrusions and cell motility. Fascin up-regulation in lung, gastric, breast and hepatobiliary carcinomas correlates with aggressiveness and decreased survival. Here we evaluate immunohistochemical expression of fascin in 47 sinonasal IPs from 34 patients. Fascin over-expression is significantly more common in sinonasal IP with high-grade dysplasia than in those with no dysplastic or low-grade dysplastic epithelium (P = 0.0001). No significant change in fascin expression is seen with recurrence. Over expression of fascin in high-grade dysplastic epithelium in IP may be associated with tumor progression and malignant transformation.

Malignant transformation of sinonasal inverted papilloma and related genetic alterations: a systematic review

“…Cell mobility is increased in various transformed epithelial cells. Fascin overexpression is significantly more common in SNIPs with high-grade dysplasia than in those with no dysplastic or low-grade dysplastic epithelium and may be associated with tumor progression and malignant transformation [39].…”

Skull Base Inverted Papilloma: A Comprehensive Review

“…HPV infection may be an early event in a multistep process of malignant formation of IP [110, 139, 140, 143, 144, 164, 179, 523, 524]. Precancerous lesions of IP exhibit elevated levels of fascin that may be associated with carcinogenesis of IP [525, 526]. …”

Fascin expression in cholesteatoma: correlation with destruction of the ossicular chain and extent of disease

“…Particularly, fascin is localised to specialised cellular protrusions (filopodia and lamellopodia), which are thought to represent dynamic areas of directional cell movement . Recently, increased expression of fascin has been demonstrated in various human tumours and is correlated with invasion of tumour cells and clinically more aggressive manifestations …”

“…It is normally present in the nervous system, lymphoid tissue, and mesenchymal and vascular endothelial cells but shows very low or no expression in normal adult epithelial cells . Recently, fascin expression in the neoplasms of thyroid cancer, oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), oral cavity SCC, nasal inverted papilloma, laryngeal SCC, breast cancer, urothelial carcinomas of the urinary bladder, pancreatic adenocarcinoma and hepatocellular carcinoma has been reported to be associated with invasion of tumour cells and clinically aggressive manifestations …”

“…5,7,8 Recently, fascin expression in the neoplasms of thyroid cancer, oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), oral cavity SCC, nasal inverted papilloma, laryngeal SCC, breast cancer, urothelial carcinomas of the urinary bladder, pancreatic adenocarcinoma and hepatocellular carcinoma has been reported to be associated with invasion of tumour cells and clinically aggressive manifestations. [9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17] No data are available concerning the role of this protein in invasive cholesteatoma. Thus, we investigated the expression of fascin in cholesteatoma tissue and the relationship between fascin expression and intraoperative evaluation of the destruction of the ossicular chain and extent of disease.…”