Expression of cell proliferation and apoptosis markers in papillomas and cancers of conjunctiva and eyelid.

Cell proliferation and programmed cell death are considered to be important events in carcinogenesis. The object of our study was to evaluate the expression of the Bcl-2 protein family (Bcl-2, Bak, Bax), p53, proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), and Ki-67 protein immunoexpression as well as the correlation between the examined markers and some clinicopathological features in papillomas and cancers of conjunctiva and eyelid. Forty-five squamous cell papillomas (SCP), 11 squamous cell cancers (SCC), and 27 basal cell cancers (BCC) were estimated. In the SCP group, p53 protein expression was observed in 30 cases (66.6%), Ki-67 in 14 (31.1%), PCNA in 44 (97.8%), Bcl-2 in 24 (53.3%), Bak in 28 (62.2%), Bax in 31 (68.9%), and Bcl-xl in 11 (100%). In the SCC group, p53 protein expression was evaluated in 8 cases (72.8%), Ki-67 in 2 (18.2%), PCNA in 8 (72.7%), Bcl-2 in 5 (45.4%), Bax and Bak both in 10 (90.9%), and Bcl-xl in 100%. In the BCC group, p53 protein expression was estimated in 23 cases (85.1%), Ki-67 in 13 (48.1%), PCNA in 26 (96.2%), Bcl-2 in 13 (48.1%), Bak in 21 (77.8%), Bax in 22 (81.5%), and Bcl-xl in 23 (85.2%). We observed a correlation between some clinicopathological features and the examined markers of apoptosis and cell proliferation, which seemed to be important events in cancer development.