BACKGROUND: Isoforms of the adhesion molecule @entity1759 are involved in @entity105 and the metastatic cascade of @entity5 cells by increasing the affinity of malignant cells to their extracellular matrix. Preliminary data with respect to the prognostic value of the @entity1759 isoforms CD44v3 and CD44v6 in @entity1 with @entity189 showed promising results. The current multicenter study aimed to determine the prognostic value of CD44v3 and CD44v6 in @entity1 with surgically staged @entity189 . METHODS: Expression of CD44v3 and CD44v6 in @entity189 tissue was assessed by immunohistochemistry. Immunohistochemical staining was performed according to established protocols. Results were correlated to clinical data. RESULTS: A positive CD44v3 and CD44v6 staining was detected in 33.3% (33 out of 99) and 39.4% (39 out of 99) of the @entity5 samples, respectively. Overexpression of CD44v6 was associated with an impaired prognosis with respect to disease-free survival (P = 0.01) and overall survival (P = 0.04). Multivariate analysis showed that CD44v6 provided prognostic information with respect to disease-free survival (P = 0.001) and overall survival (P = 0.005) independently of the two established prognosticators, @entity5 stage and groin lymph node involvement. Overexpression of CD44v3 had no impact on @entity1 survival. CONCLUSIONS: The current multicenter study, involving a large series of @entity1 with surgically staged @entity189 , allowed for multivariate survival analysis and showed that CD44v6 confers prognostic information in addition to that provided by the established clinicopathologic parameters of @entity5 stage and lymph node status.

The prognostic value of immunohistochemically detected CD44v3 and CD44v6 expression in XXXX with surgically staged @entity189 : a multicenter study.

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['patients', 'patient'] @entity5 :: ('MESH:D009369', 'Disease') :: ['tumor'] @entity189 :: ('MESH:D002277', 'Disease') :: ['vulvar carcinoma'] @entity1759 :: ('960', 'Gene') :: ['CD44'] @entity105 :: ('MESH:D063646', 'Disease') :: ['carcinogenesis']
@entity1 :: (9606,Species) :: ['patients']
