Galectin-1 and -3 contents in primary and recurrent nasal and paranasal sinus polyps

Introduction: Nasal and paranasal sinus polyps are one of the most common laryngological problems. Often, despite surgical treatment of nasal and paranasal sinus polyps, they grow back and require surgical retreatment. It is very difficult to predict which patients are particularly exposed to it. Markers are still being sought to predict which patients are particularly exposed to regrowth of polyps and thus require increased clinical surveillance. Galectins are a group of glycoproteins that have been intensively studied recently. The sugar part of these proteins can play a role in transmitting intercellular signals. Laryngologists are especially interested in galectins-1 and -3. The determination of their increased content in cancer tissue is considered as a marker of malignancy, which worsens prognosis in patients. Recently, more and more attention has been paid to the role of galectins in benign lesions, and such are the nasal and paranasal sinus polyps. Materials and methods: In our work, the contents of galectin-1 and-3 were determined in the tissue of the surgically removed primary (n = 35) and recurrent polyps (n = 15). R esults: The content of galectin-1 and-3 showed no statistically significant differences between primary and recurrent polyps. Conclusions: The content of galectin-3 was lower in recurrent polyps, however the observed difference did not reach statistical significance (p = 0.07). Since the obtained „p” value is close to the significance limit, it is advisable to broaden the submitted studies to a larger group of patients in order to be able to fully assess whether the determination of the content of galectin-3 may be helpful in assessing the risk of recurrence of nasal and paranasal sinus polyps.