MMP2 and neoplasm: P63 immunoreactivity was detected in all MEC samples mainly in epidermoid cells and occasionally in intermediate cells as nuclear staining (Figure 1a).In addition, the epidermoid and intermediate cells revealed cytoplasmic or nuclear-cytoplasmic expression of maspin in 31(88.6%) cases of MEC (Figure 1b).The cytoplasmic expression of MMP-2 was further found in epidermoid cells, intermediate cells and tumor stroma of 26(72.4%) MEC samples (Figure 1c).SMA staining was negative for all P63 positive cells in MEC samples.