Abstract
The Human Papillomavirus (HPV) has been strongly implicated in development of some cases of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). However, the immunological system somehow reacts against the presence of this virus. Among the cells involved in such mechanism of defense Langerhans cells (LC) stand out, which are responsible for processing and presenting antigens.ObjectivesThe purposes of this study were to investigate the presence of HPV DNA and to evaluate the immunohistochemical reactivity for Langerhans cells between HPV-positive and HPV-negative OSCC. Twenty-seven cases of OSSC were evaluated. Material and MethodsDNA was extracted from paraffin-embedded tissue samples and amplified by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) for the detection of HPV DNA. Viral typing was performed by dot blot hybridization. Immunohistochemistry was performed by the Streptavidin-biotin technique. ResultsFrom the 27 cases, 9 (33.3%) were HPV-positive and 18 (66.0%) HPV-negative. HPV 18 was the most prevalent viral type (100% cases) and infection with HPV-16 (co-infection) was detected in only 1 case. In the OSCC specimens examined, immunoreactivity to S-100 antibody was detected in all cases, with a mean number of 49.48±30.89 Langerhans cells positive for immunostaining. The mean number of immunostained Langerhans cells was smaller in the HPV-positive cases (38 cells/case) than in the HPV-negative cases (42.5 cells/case), but this difference was not significant (p=0.38). ConclusionsThe low frequency of detection of HPV DNA in OSCC indicates a possible participation of the virus in the development and progression of only a subgroup of these tumors. There was no association between the immunohistochemical labeling for Langerhans cells (S-100+) and HPV infection of in OSSC. These findings suggest that the presence of HPV in such OSCC cases could not alter the immunological system, particularly the Langerhans cells.
Highlights
Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the most common type of cancer of the mouth, accounting for more than 90% of all malignant oral neoplasms
Smoking and alcohol are considered to be the main etiological factors of OSCC. Some patients develop this neoplasm without exposure to these risk factors, a fact suggesting the involvement of other etiological factors such as viral agents, human papillomavirus (HPV)[4,5,15,24,30]
** Fisher test observed between the number of S-100-stained Langerhans cells and HPV-positive or HPV-negative cases of OSCC (p=1.000) (Table 1)
Summary
Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the most common type of cancer of the mouth, accounting for more than 90% of all malignant oral neoplasms. Smoking and alcohol are considered to be the main etiological factors of OSCC. Some patients develop this neoplasm without exposure to these risk factors, a fact suggesting the involvement of other etiological factors such as viral agents, human papillomavirus (HPV)[4,5,15,24,30]. The role of HPV in the development of cancer of the uterine cervix has been well established, but the association between this virus and oral cancer is not ZHOO GH¿QHG 6WXGLHV HYDOXDWLQJ WKH UROH RI +39 LQ. RUDO FDUFLQRJHQHVLV KDYH \LHOGHG FRQÀLFWLQJ UHVXOWV with the reported prevalence of HPV DNA in oral cancer tissue ranging from 0 to 100%3,12,15,22,25,30. The main cells involved in the elimination of altered cells are T lymphocytes. In the presence of an antigen, T cells need to be activated and this activation is mediated by antigen-presenting cells, including Langerhans cells[13,14]
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