Immunohistochemical study of biomarker "P53" in premalignant lesions

ABSTRACT

Precancerous lesions of the oral mucosa offer a particularly interesting area of research for understanding the process of cancer formation and its prevention. This study was conducted to investigate P 53 protein expression in cancerous, precancerous conditions and adjacent normal mucosa using an immunohistochemical technique, in an attempt to study its role in the progression of oral premalignant lesions. The immunohistochemical results were further correlated with the clinicopathological parameters of the studied patients. This study included 6 cases of oral squamous cell carcinoma [OSCC], 6 cases of oral lichen planus [OLP] and 6 cases of leukoplakia. The results revealed that P53 accumulation was more strongly observed in OSCC than OLP and leukoplakia. A positive significant correlation was found between the severity of P53 immunoreactivity and smoking, and the frequency of samples showing dysplastic changes. While no significant correlation was found between P53 severity and the age of the patients or lesion duration. It appears that immunohistochemical evaluation of P53 expression may be a practical tool to select cases of oral lichen planus and leukoplakia with a high risk of neoplasia