Evaluation of Serum β2-Microglobulin Levels in Histologically Diagnosed Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma Patients

Abstract

Introduction: Oral cancer presents challenging and unresolved problems for the human population, accounting for as much as 30-40% of all carcinomas in India. The current research focuses on the use of the tumour marker β2-microglobulin as a surrogate marker in patients with Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma (OSCC) for early detection of cancer. Aim: To evaluate the level of serum β2-microglobulin in histologically diagnosed OSCC patients and compare it with age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted in the Department of Pathology at SN Medical College, Agra, over a period of one year and six months. The study included 50 histologically diagnosed OSCC cases and 40 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Blood samples were taken from the healthy controls and OSCC patients, and the level of serum β2-microglobulin was measured using Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA). Statistical analysis was conducted using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 11. Z test and ANOVA test were used to compare various parameters. A p-value of <0.05 was considered significant. Results: In the 50 cases of OSCC, the mean±SD of serum β2-microglobulin was 2.99±0.85 μg/mL, while in the healthy controls, it was 1.30±0.10 μg/mL, with a p-value <0.001, which was statistically significant. The mean±SD of serum β2-microglobulin in cases of Well Differentiated Squamous Cell Carcinoma (WDSCC) was 2.40±1.59 μg/mL, whereas it was 3.09±1.52 μg/mL in Moderately Differentiated Squamous Cell Carcinoma (MDSCC) and 3.46±0.03 μg/mL in Poorly Differentiated Squamous Cell Carcinoma (PDSCC), with a p-value of <0.05, which was statistically significant. Increased levels of serum β2-microglobulin were observed among all cases of OSCC. Loss of differentiation in Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SCC) was associated with an increase in levels of serum β2- microglobulin. Conclusion: Due to its minimally invasive nature and quick availability of results, serum β2-microglobulin can be used for diagnosis of OSCC. Therefore, it is recommended to monitor levels of serum β2-microglobulin in patients with OSCC.