ABSTRACT

Midkine is a heparin-binding growth factor that promotes the proliferation, survival, migration and differentiation of various target cells. Midkine plays an important role in tumorigenesis and tumor progression, and is overexpressed in many human malignant tumors. The aims of this study were to evaluate the expression of von Willebrand Factor (vWF) and Midkine (MK) factor in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC).And to correlate the expression of both (vWF) and (MK) with some clinicopathological data and lymph node metastasis. Immunohistochemical showed that MK protein expression was significantly higher in specimens of carcinomas with lymph node metastasis. Furthermore, vWF expression tended to be higher in cases that exhibited high expression of MK. These results suggest that MK may play important role in tumor’s progression and angiogenesis.