A study on the expression of CD44 adhesion molecule in oral squamous cell carcinoma and its correlation with tumor histological grading

Abstract

Background: The increasing incidence of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) combined with its poor and unchanged prognosis motivates a need for research into the aspects of tumor biology such as the expression of adhesion molecules. Alterations in the properties of adhesion molecules could play a pivotal role in the development and progression of invasive cancer and distant metastasis. Aim: This study aims to quantify the expression of cluster of differentiation 44 (CD44) in the different grades of OSCC. Materials and Methods: Immunohistochemical staining for CD44 was performed in 10 tissue sections each of normal mucosa, well-differentiated OSCC, moderately differentiated OSCC, and poorly differentiated OSCC. CD44 positivity was analyzed quantitatively in 10 representative fields of each section under 20× magnification. Statistical Analysis Used: Statistical analysis was performed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences software, version 20.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, United States). Results: The mean value of the number of positive cells in controls was 745 ± 68.17, in well-differentiated OSCC was 694.2 ± 145.47, in moderately differentiated OSCC was 349 ± 78.40, and in poorly differentiated OSCC was 108.8 ± 34.39. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest an altered expression of CD44 in OSCC with weak immunostaining in poorly differentiated squamous cell carcinoma. Thus, it can be inferred that the loss of cell adhesion, correlated to the decrease of CD44 expression, might be of value in determining the progression of OSCC.