Differential levels of proteoglycans and GAGs in STICs. (A)
Representative multispectral staining of hyaluronan, perlecan, or
versican in benign (B), non-STIC (NS), and STIC (S) regions. Scale bar =
200 µm. (B) Quantification of epithelial MFI, stromal MFI, and
epithelial:stromal ratio (E:S ratio) of hyaluronan, perlecan, or
versican in B, NS, or S regions. Data are presented as box plots
indicating median and range; dashed line demonstrates E:S = 1.
*p<0.05 for S compared with B by Kruskal–Wallis
test and Dunn’s multiple comparison posttest. n=10 (B),
11 (NS), and 8 (S). (C) Epithelial MFI, stromal MFI, and E:S ratio of
patient-matched NS and S regions (indicated by connecting lines). Dashed
line demonstrates E:S = 1. *p<0.05 by Wilcoxon
matched-pair signed-rank test. n=8 patients.
Abbreviations: GAG, glycosaminoglycans; STIC, serous intraepithelial
carcinoma; MFI, mean fluorescent signal intensity.