Assessment of Immunohistochemical Expression to the TP63 Protein in Premalignant and Malignant Disorders of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma among Sample of Iraqi Patients

الملخص

The oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the sixth most prevalent cancer recorded globally and is the leading cause of death. With an annual incidence of approximately 550,000 cases, early detection of genetic alterations in potentially malignant disorders (PMDs) can aid in the identification of lesions that may develop into cancer. TP63 is a protein known as tumor protein TP63. It is linked to the development of epithelial tumors and plays a crucial part in controlling the cell cycle. Objective: The aim of this study was to compare TP63 marker expression of the OSCC with oral premalignant tissues which is oral epithelial dysplasia (OED). Materials and Methods: TP63 was stained by immunohistochemical technique (IHC) on tissue sections from 35 (58.3%) of OED and 25 (41.7%) of patients with OSCC. For each lesion, the labeling index (LI), the staining intensity of the reaction, and the patterns of the TP63 reaction were evaluated. Results: Epithelial dysplasia with enhanced suprabasal expression and squamous cell carcinoma with diffused and peripheral patterns of response were both associated with overexpression of TP63. Labeling index (LI) of TP63 in patients with OSCC had the highest mean (61.04 ± 23.608) from epithelial dysplasia (54.77 ± 15.377) with significant differences (P < 0.05), and grades of OSCC showed statistically significant variations in the LI and intensity of reaction of TP63. Conclusions: As a result, TP63 can be a helpful signal of dysplastic alteration and a biomarker for the development of oral cancer.