Figure 5.

EMT marker expression in Slug-score positive and Slug-score negative patients. HNC specimens of 72 patients were semi-quantitatively scored based on Slug immunohistochemistry by 2 investigators and then dichotomized in Slug positive and Slug negative (x-axis). Using multichannel immunofluorescence image cytometry, expression of EMT related proteins in tumor cells were quantified as percentage of positive cells (y-axis). Slug positive HNC specimens had a lower expression of epithelial E-cadherin (p < 0.05) and ß-catenin (p < 0.05), a lower E-cadherin/ß-catenin co-expression (p < 0.05) and a higher cytokeratin/vimentin co-expression (p = 0.001) indicating simultaneous downregulation of epithelial and upregulation of mesenchymal proteins consistent with EMT.