Abstract: Objective To explore the roles of Bcl-2, Bax, Bcl-xl proteins in the carcinogenesis of basal cell carcinoma(BCC). Methods Forty-six BCC cases were divided into 2 groups (21 in non-aggressive BCC group and 26 in aggressive BCC group) according to their pathological features. Bcl-2, Bax and Bcl-xl were evaluated in formalin fixed, paraffin embedded specimens by immunohistochemical methods and analyzed by image-analysis methods to obtain average optical density (AOD) of each protein for each case. The AOD data of 3 proteins and Bcl-2/Bax ratios were then compared between the 2 BCC groups. Results The level of Bcl-2 expression and Bcl-2/Bax ratio of non-aggressive BCC group were higher than those of aggressive group,(P=0.005 and 0.044, respectively). For the expression level of Bcl-xl and Bax, there was no statistically difference between the two groups (P=0.097 and 0.979, respectively). Conclusion Bcl-2, Bax,Bcl-xl proteins might participate in the carcinogenesis and development of BCC.

Key words: Basal cell carcinoma, Genes,bcl-2, Genes,bcl-x1, Genes,bax