ABSTRACT
Statement of Problem: Squamous cell carcinoma [SCC] is the most common cancer of the mouth, but its pathogenesis is unknown. HER2/neu is a protoncogene with homologue sequence with EGF. SMA is a smooth muscle specific actin which indicates the existence of myofibroblasts in the oral cancer stroma
Purpose: This study aimed to measure the frequency of Her2/neu and [alpha] SMAin oral SCC
Materials and Method: For this study, 18 paraffinized blocks of OSCC were immunostained with Anti HER2/neu, Anti [Alpha] SMA. Percentage and degree of the epithelial cells staining and percentage staining of myofibroblasts were considered. The results of the study were analyzed using kappa and X[2]
Results: From 18 cases of OSCC, 3 and 12 cases were positive with HER2/neu and SMA, respectively. In the normal oral mucosa, one case was positive [Score 2] with HER2/neu but SMA positive myofibroblasts were not seen in the stroma of OSCC. A significant difference was seen in SMA expression in OSCC and the normal oral mucosa [p =0.002]. No significant difference was found in HER2/neu expression in OSCC and normal mucosa [p >0.05]
Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that SMA has an effective role in pathogenesis and aggressive behavior of OSCC but HER2/neu has no main role in this type of oral cancer