• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• 제15권19호
• /
• pp.8351-8359
• /
• 2014

Background: Recent epidemiological data have implicated human papilloma virus (HPV) infection in the pathogenesis of head and neck cancers, especially oropharyngeal cancers. Although, HPV has been detected in varied amounts in persons with oral dysplasia, leukoplakias and malignancies, its involvement in oral tongue carcinogenesis remains ambiguous. Materials and Methods: HPV DNA prevalence was assessed by PCR with formalin fixed paraffin embedded sections (n=167) of oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma patients and the physical status of the HPV16 DNA was assessed by qPCR. Immunohistochemistry was conducted for p16 evaluation. Results: We found the HPV prevalence in tongue cancers to be 51.2%, HPV 16 being present in 85.2% of the positive cases. A notable finding was a very poor concordance between HPV 16 DNA and p16 IHC findings (kappa<0.2). Further molecular classification of patients based on HPV16 DNA prevalence and p16 overexpression showed that patients with tumours showing p16 overexpression had increased hazard of death (HR=2.395; p=0.005) and disease recurrence (HR=2.581; p=0.002) irrespective of their HPV 16 DNA status. Conclusions: Our study has brought out several key facets which can potentially redefine our understanding of tongue cancer tumorigenesis. It has emphatically shown p16 overexpression to be a single important prognostic variable in defining a high risk group and depicting a poorer prognosis, thus highlighting the need for its routine assessment in tongue cancers. Another significant finding was a very poor concordance between p16 expression and HPV infection suggesting that p16 expression should possibly not be used as a surrogate marker for HPV infection in tongue cancers. Interestingly, the prognostic significance of p16 overexpression is different from that reported in oropharyngeal cancers. The mechanism of HPV independent p16 over expression in oral tongue cancers is possibly a distinct entity and needs to be further studied.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• 제13권8호
• /
• pp.3573-3576
• /
• 2012

Oral cancers are one of the most common cancers worldwide today. They are usually neglected by the common population when compared to systemic cancers such as the lung cancer, colon cancer etc. However, they also may be extremely fatal if left untreated even at a very initial stage of the lesion. Early detection and treatment gives the best chance for its cure. The five-year survival rate of oral cancer still remains low and delayed diagnosis is suggested to be one of the major reasons. The detection and diagnosis are currently based on clinical examination, histopathological evaluation of the biopsy material and molecular methods. Several diagnostic aids have been developed over the years for early detection of oral cancer. The purpose of this article is to review the advanced available diagnostic adjuncts for the detection of oral cancer.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
• /
• 제46권5호
• /
• pp.301-312
• /
• 2020

In disease diagnostics and health surveillance, the use of saliva has potential because its collection is convenient and noninvasive. Over the past two decades, the development of salivary utilization for the early detection of cancer, especially oral cavity and oropharynx cancer has gained the interest of the researcher and clinician. Until recently, the oral cavity and oropharynx cancers are still having a five-year survival rate of 62%, one of the lowest in all major human cancers. More than 90% of oral cancers are oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Despite the ease of accessing the oral cavity in clinical examination, most OSCC lesions are not diagnosed in the early stage, which is suggested to be the main cause of the low survival rate. Many studies have been performed and reported more than 100 potential saliva biomarkers for OSCC. However, there are still obstacles in figuring out the reliable OSCC salivary biomarkers and the clinical application of the early diagnosis protocol. The current review article discusses the emerging issues and is hoped to raise awareness of this topic in both researchers and clinicians. We also suggested the potential salivary biomarkers that are reliable, specific, and sensitive for the early detection of OSCC.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• 제16권4호
• /
• pp.1615-1619
• /
• 2015

Background: Promoter hypermethylation mediated gene silencing of tumor suppressor genes is considered as most frequent mechanism than genetic aberrations such as mutations in the development of cancers. BRD7 is a single bromodomain containing protein that functions as a subunit of SWI/SNF chromatin-remodeling complex to regulate transcription. It also interacts with the well know tumor suppressor protein p53 to trans-activate genes involved in cell cycle arrest. Loss of expression of BRD7 has been observed in breast cancers and nasopharyngeal carcinomas due to promoter hypermethylation. However, the genetic status of BRD7 in oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCCs) is not known, although OSCC is one of the most common among all reported cancers in the Indian population. Hence, in the present study we investigated OSCC samples to determine the occurrence of hypermethylation in the promoter region of BRD7 and understand its prevalence. Materials and Methods: Genomic DNA extracted from biopsy tissues of twenty three oral squamous cell carcinomas were digested with methylation sensitive HpaII type2 restriction enzyme that recognizes and cuts unmethylated CCGG motifs. The digested DNA samples were amplified with primers flanking the CCGG motifs in promoter region of BRD7 gene. The PCR amplified products were analyzed by agarose gel electrophoresis along with undigested amplification control. Results: Methylation sensitive enzyme technique identified methylation of BRD7 promoter region seventeen out of twenty three (74%) well differentiated oral squamous cell carcinoma samples. Conclusions: The identification of BRD7 promoter hypermethylation in 74% of well differentiated oral squamous cell carcinomas indicates that the methylation dependent silencing of BRD7 gene is a frequent event in carcinogenesis. To the best of our knowledge, the present study is the first to report the occurrence of BRD7and its high prevalence in oral squamous cell carcinomas.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• 제17권4호
• /
• pp.2297-2299
• /
• 2016

Background: Early detection of malignant transformation with expression biomarkers has significant potential to improve the survival rate of patients as such biomarkers enable prediction of progression and assess sensitivity to chemotherapy. The expression of interferon inducible transmembrane protein 1 (IFITM1) has been associated with early invasion events in several carcinomas, including head and neck cancers, and hence has been proposed as a novel candidate biomarker. As the incidence of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is highest in the Indian population, we sought to investigate: 1) the expression pattern of IFITM1 in OSCC tissue samples obtained from Indian patients of Dravidian origin; and 2) the possibility of using IFITM1 expression as a potential biomarker. Materials and Methods: Total RNA extracted from thirty eight OSCC biopsy samples was subjected to semi-quantitative RT-PCR with IFITM1 and GAPDH specific primers. Results: Of the thirty eight OSCC samples that were analyzed, IFITM1 overexpression was identified in fifteen (39%). Seven expressed a low level, while the remainder expressed high level of IFITM1. Conclusions: The overexpression of IFITM1 in OSCC samples indicates that IFITM1 may be explored for the possibility of use as a high confidence diagnostic biomarker in oral cancers. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that IFITM1 overexpression is being reported in Indian OSCC samples.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• 제14권9호
• /
• pp.5061-5065
• /
• 2013

Background: Oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma (OTSCC) is the most common cancer diagnosed within the oral cavity worldwide. Many studies in India report OTSCC ranking among the top two most common subsites within the oral cavity. India is often labeled the oral cancer capital of the world. The incidence of tongue cancers in the population-based cancer registry (PBCR) of Chennai is showing an increasing trend. A majority of the oral cavity cancers (85%) in our cancer center present in advanced stages (III and IV). In contrast, early tongue cancers (stages I and II) constitute nearly 45% of all OTSCCs. Aim: The aim of this study was to analyze the clinical profile and epidemiological trends in our early stage tongue cancer patients with an emphasis on tobacco and alcohol habits. Materials and Methods: This retrospective analysis was based on a prospectively collected database of 458 consecutive early stage OTSCC in-patients at a tertiary care oncology centre in Chennai between 1995 and 2008. Results: Our study suggests that the earlier trends have clearly changed whereby nearly half of our patients are now never-tobacco users. The findings of the study indicate that a majority of the patients were never alcohol users (86.4%) and nearly half of them were never tobacco users (49.3%), and they had the best survival outcomes. This increasing trend of OTSCC among non-tobacco users is in contrast to our earlier experience of tongue cancer more than five decades ago.The median age of patients in our study was 53.3 years; the male to female ratio was approximately 2:1. The median follow up for the 458 patients was 53 months. Conclusions: Our study importantly as well as interestingly shows a conspicuous absence of association with the traditional risk factors, tobacco and alcohol.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• 제16권4호
• /
• pp.1371-1374
• /
• 2015

Background: Tongue cancer is one of the leading sites of cancer in our population. Aim: To evaluate the socio-demographic profiles and stages at diagnosis of oral tongue (OT) and base of tongue (BT) cancers, and identify any possible variations in characteristics. Materials and Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on tongue cancer cases, divided into OT and BT, registered at the hospital cancer registry of North-East India during January 2010 to May 2013. Cases were analyzed for age, gender, residential status and different levels of education for patients, the stage at diagnosis and presence of distant metastasis. Results: A total of 1,113 cases of tongue cancers were registered, 846(76.1%) of BT and 267(23.9%) of OT. While 33.9% of BT cancer patients were above 65 years of age, the figure for OT cancers was 18.4%, stages III and IV accounting for 90.8% and 77%, respectively. The relative risk for distant metastasis in OT cancers was 3.3 (95% CI 1.08-10.1, p=0.03). Conclusions: In the subsites of tongue cancers in our population, the majority arose from the base of tongue, these tending to occur in older individuals and presenting at late stage.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
• /
• 제42권5호
• /
• pp.662-665
• /
• 2009

식도, 위, 폐 그리고 구강에 동시 발생한 다발성 원발암에 대해 보고하고자 한다. 65세 남자 환자가 구강 내 종괴에 대해 상피세포암을 진단받고 광범위 절제술을 시행 받았다. 수술 후 정확한 병기 결정을 위해 시행한 검사에서 식도암, 위암 그리고 폐암이 추가로 확인되었다. 저자들은 상기 세가지암에 대하여 한 차례 수술로 근치적 절제술을 시행하여, 만족할 만한 결과를 얻었기에 이에 대해 보고하는 바이다.

• International Journal of Oral Biology
• /
• 제31권2호
• /
• pp.27-32
• /
• 2006

Expression of invasion/metastasis suppressor, E-cadherin, is reduced in many types of human carcinomas. Although somatic and germline mutations in the CDH1, which encodes the human E-cadherin, have frequently been reported in cases with diffuse gastric and lobular breast cancers, irreversible genetic inactivations are rare in other human carcinomas. Recently, it has been well documented that some genes in human cancers may be inactivated by altered CpG methylation. Herein, we determined the expression and methylation status of E-cadherin in oral squamous cell carcinoma(SCC) by immunohistochemistry and methylation-specific PCR. The expression of E-cadherin was significantly higher in the well-differentiated oral SCCs than the moderately or poorly differentiated ones. None of eight tested benign epithelial hyperplasias showed aberrant methylation, whereas five of 12 oral squamous cell carcinomas showed aberrant methylation. When we compared E-cadherin expression with methylation status, oral SCCs with normal methylation showed a higher expression of E-cadherin than those with methylation. These findings suggest that aberrant CpG methylation of CDH1 promoter region is closely associated with transcriptional inactivation and might be involved in tumor progression of the oral mucosa.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• 제17권1호
• /
• pp.189-195
• /
• 2016

Oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma (OTSCC) is the most common oral cancer subtype with a maximum propensity for regional spread. Our objective was to study if p53 expression might have any correlation with aggressive patterns of invasion within oral tongue cancers as well as with the histologically identified degree of oral tongue dysplasia. p53 immunoexpression was studied using immunohistochemistry in early staged OTSCCs (n=155), oral tongue dysplasias, (n=29) and oral tongue normal specimens (n=10) and evaluated for correlations with histological and clinicopathological parameters. Our study (n=194) showed a pattern of p53 expression increasing with different grades of tongue dysplasia to different grades of invasive OTSCC (p=0.000). Among the OTSCC tumours, positive p53 expression was seen in 43.2% (67/155) and a higher p53 labelling index was significantly associated with increased Bryne's grade of the tumour invasive front (p=0.039) and increased tumour depth (p=0.018). Among the OTSCC patients with tobacco habits, (n=91), a higher p53 labelling index was significantly associated with increased risk of local recurrence (p=0.025) and with lymphovascular space involvement (p=0.014). Evaluation of p53 through varying degrees of dysplasia to oral tongue cancer indicates that p53 expression is linked to aggressive features of oral tongue cancers and tongue precancers entailing a closer monitoring in positive cases. Among the OTSCCs, p53 expression is associated with tumour aggressiveness correlating with increased grading of invasive tumour front and tumour depth.