Expression of E-cadherin in oral epithelial dysplasia and oral squamous cell carcinoma: An in vivo study

Abstract

Objectives: There is evidence that E-cadherins may also play a role in progression of dysplasia to cancer. The aim of this study was to investigate the expression of E-cadherin during the process of oral carcinogenesis by comparing their expression in normal and oral dysplastic epithelium (OED) with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSSC). Materials and methods: The patients who were clinical suspected of having premalignant lesion and oral squamous cell carcinoma were included in the study after the histopathological diagnosis. Totally 20 cases of OED and 20 Cases of OSSC were included in the study. From each case the following data were recorded: patient’s age and sex, tumour location, TNM classification and clinical stage (I-IV). After preliminary examination of sections stained with haematoxylin/eosin, representative parts of each piece were selected and sectioned at 5 micron for immunohistochemical study. Results: There was reduced expression of E-cadherin from mild to severe degree of dysplasia suggesting the negative correlation with E-cadherin expression. However, there was no significant correlation between E-cadherin expression, clinical TNM stage and prognosis score. Conclusion: The E-cadherin expression is reduced with increase grade of dysplasia and in oral squamous cell carcinoma. The reduced expression of E-cadherin may be a reliable indicator of increase in invasiveness in oral squamous cell carcinoma. Reduced E-cadherin expression can be considered a useful marker for progression of dysplasia to oral cancer.