Expression of Two Androgen-Induced Proteins (Pepsinogen C and Apolipoprotein D) in Epithelial Skin Cancers of the Eyelids

By immunohistochemistry, we investigated pepsinogen C (pepC) and apolipoprotein D (apoD) expressions in 23 basal cell (BCC) and 25 squamous cell carcinomas (SCC) of the eyelids and analyzed the possible relationship to clinicopathological parameters. A total of 3 (13%) BCC and 7 (28%) SCC stained positively for pepC, whereas 11 (47.8%) BCC and 6 (24%) SCC stained positively for apoD. No significant correlation was found between pepC and apoD expressions and patients or tumor characteristics (p > 0.05). pepC and apoD, two androgen-inducible proteins, may be expressed by BCC and SCC of the eyelids. Further studies will be necessary to determine their clinical significance.