Podoplanin expression in oral squamous cell carcinoma and leukoplakia and its correlation with lymph vessels density / 中华口腔医学杂志

ABSTRACT

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the expression of Podoplanin in lesional epithelia of oral leukoplakia and squamous cell carcinoma and its correlation with lymph vessels density.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The expression of Podoplanin in 40 cases of oral leukoplakia, 27 cases of early stage of squamous cell carcinoma and 32 cases of infiltrated stage of squamous cell carcinoma was examined by immunohistochemistry. Meanwhile, the correlation between podoplanin expression in lesional epithelia and its corresponding lymph vessels density was also analysed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Podoplanin expression in epithelia was increased with the exacerbated epithelial proliferation. High expression of Podoplanin in lesional epithelia accounted for 45% in oral leukoplakia, 81% and 78% in early and infiltrated stage of squamous cell carcinoma respectively. Moreover, the lymph vessels density was also increased with the enhanced expression of Podoplanin in oral leukoplakia and early stage of squamous cell carcinoma (P < 0.05). Podoplanin expression in infiltrated stage of squamous cell carcinoma was positively correlated with the lymph vessels density (P < 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Podoplanin expression in different proliferative oral epithelia may be related to oral carcinogenesis, invasion and metastasis.</p>