Research progress on epithelial cell adhesion molecules in mucoepidermoid carcinoma

Abstract

Mucoepidermoid carcinoma （MEC） is a common epithelial malignant tumor in oral and maxillofacial region. Due to the high morbidity, mortality and metastasis rates, the quality of life of MEC patients has always been a serious problem in the process of treatment and rehabilitation. Epithelial cell adhesion molecule （EpCAM） is highly expressed in the fast-growing epithelial tumors, which is closely correlated with the epithelial malignant tumors. It is involved in the epithelial malignant tumor cell adhesion, signal transduction, migration and proliferation, and is intimately associated with the prognosis of tumors. When cell-to-cell adhesion occurs, EpCAM aggregates on the surface of cell membrane, which can change the intracellular microenvironment and affect the prognosis and metastasis of MEC. EpCAM is involved in the incidence and development of tumors, which can provide novel reference for the early diagnosis and prognostic assessment of MEC.

Keywords

• |mucoepidermoid carcinoma|epithelial cell adhesion molecule|review