Immunohistochemical evaluation of FHIT and WWOX expression in normal oral mucosa, oral epithelial dysplasia and oral squamous cell carcinoma
Abstract
Background: Oral squamous cell carcinoma is the most prevalent malignant neoplasm of the oral cavity whichresults from accumulated genetic and epigenetic alterations. It is not always inexorable and may be reversible ifearly intervention in the process can occur to prevent further genetic mutation and disease progression. The FHITgene is a tumor suppressor gene located in FRA3B region which is the most active common fragile site, where DNAdamage leading to aberrant transcripts and translocations frequently occur. The WWOX is a tumor suppressor genethat plays a central role in tumor suppression through transcriptional repression and apoptosis, with its apoptoticfunction the more prominent of the two. This study aimed to evaluate and compare the immunohistochemicalexpression of FHIT and WWOX in normal oral mucosa, oral epithelial dysplasia and oral squamous cell carcinoma andto correlate the expression of the mentioned markers with the clinicopathological features and to show theexpression of studied markers with each other.Materials and methods: Fifty formalin-fixed, paraffin embedded tissue blocks (10 cases of normal oral mucosa, 19cases of oral epithelial dysplasia, and 21 cases of oral squamous cell carcinoma) were included in this study.Immunohistochemical staining was performed using anti FHIT polyclonal antibody, and anti WWOX polyclonalantibody.Results: Positive IHC of FHIT was detected with high score in all cases of NOM, 16 cases (84%) of OED and 18 cases(86%) of OSCC. For WWOX expression positive IHC detected with high score in all cases (100%) of NOM, 14 cases(74%) of OED and 15 cases (71%) of OSCC. There was statistically highly significant correlation of both markers inOED and non significant correlation in OSCC, with significant differences among studied groups.Conclusions: These results signifying both markers cooperative tumor suppressive role and potential pathologicaltransition from normal oral mucosa to dysplastic epithelium and subsequently cause malignant oral lesions
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