Abstract: Objective To study heat shock protein (HSP)70 expression in skin carcinomas and its relationship with proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and p53 protein. Methods The expression of HSP70, p53 protein, and PCNA was determined by an immunohistochemical technique (SABC) using specific antibodies against HSP 70, p53 protein and PCNA in a variety of benign and malignant skin tissues. Results The overexpression of HSP 70 was found in 60% of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and 25% of basal cell carcinoma (BCC). HSP 70 was located mainly in the nuclei of tumor cells. There was a significant difference of PC 10 indexes, which represent the positive rates of PCNA, between HSP 70 positive and negative tissues in SCC and BCC. In view of p53 protein, no significant difference was observed between HSP 70 positive and negative tissues in those tumors. The differences of HSP 70 expression were significant between gradeⅠ～Ⅱ and gradeⅣ of SCC. Conclusion The results demonstrate that HSP 70 is associated with cellular proliferation and pathological grading of skin cancers. It is suggested that HSP 70 may be involved in the progression of tumor cells. Further research is needed to elucidate the value of diagnosis and prognosis of HSP 70 in skin tumors.

Key words: Heat-shock proteins, Proliferating cell nuclear antigen, Protein p53, Skin neoplasms