OBJECTIVES: We determined serum nitric oxide (NO) levels in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and sought correlations with TNM staging, tumor localization, and tumor grade. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Serum samples were obtained from 36 patients (mean age 63 years; range 37 to 80 years) with head and neck SCC prior to treatment and from 20 healthy individuals (mean age 56 years; range 30 to 72 years) as controls. Tumor staging was based on the criteria of the American Joint Committee of Cancer staging system in 2002. Thirteen patients had stage I-II, and 23 patients had stage III-IV tumors and all had well- or moderately-differentiated SCC (grade 1-2). Serum NO levels were analyzed by a spectrophotometric method based on the determination of total nitrite levels in serum and compared between the patient and control groups. RESULTS: The mean serum NO levels were 20.08+/-1.40 micromol/l and 13.57+/-0.99 micromol/l in cancer patients and controls, respectively (p=0.001). There were no correlations between NO levels and age, sex, tumor stage, localization, and histological grade. CONCLUSION: These data suggest that head and neck SCC is associated with increased serum NO levels, which may play a role in tumor growth.
OBJECTIVES: We determined serum nitric oxide (NO) levels in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and sought correlations with TNM staging, tumor localization, and tumor grade. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Serum samples were obtained from 36 patients (mean age 63 years; range 37 to 80 years) with head and neck SCC prior to treatment and from 20 healthy individuals (mean age 56 years; range 30 to 72 years) as controls. Tumor staging was based on the criteria of the American Joint Committee of Cancer staging system in 2002. Thirteen patients had stage I-II, and 23 patients had stage III-IV tumors and all had well- or moderately-differentiated SCC (grade 1-2). Serum NO levels were analyzed by a spectrophotometric method based on the determination of total nitrite levels in serum and compared between the patient and control groups. RESULTS: The mean serum NO levels were 20.08+/-1.40 micromol/l and 13.57+/-0.99 micromol/l in cancerpatients and controls, respectively (p=0.001). There were no correlations between NO levels and age, sex, tumor stage, localization, and histological grade. CONCLUSION: These data suggest that head and neck SCC is associated with increased serum NO levels, which may play a role in tumor growth.
Authors: Yaroslav R Yarmolyuk; Benjamin J Vesper; William A Paradise; Kim M Elseth; Gabor Tarjan; G Kenneth Haines; James A Radosevich Journal: Tumour Biol Date: 2010-10-23