Abstract
Over 90% of oral cancers including oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), originate from the oral cavity epithelium. Early detection for this lesion is as important. Evaluating cancer stem cell markers can improve the accuracy of early diagnosis, and be used as an OSCC prognostic indicator. We aimed to evaluate SOX2 and OCT4 gene expression among different grades of OSCC and oral epithelial dysplasia (OED) lesions. Sixty samples that contains 45 OSCC and 15 OED samples were retrieved from the pathology department archives at the dental school of Mashhad. Demographic and pathological patient data including the tumor stage and tumor grade were assessed. Finally, SOX2 and OCT4 expression was examined using qRT-PCR. There was a significant difference in SOX2 and OCT4 expression between OSCC and OED samples (p< 0.001). The mean expression of SOX2 and OCT4 in OSCC samples were significantly higher than in the OED group (p< 0.001). The mean expression of SOX2 and OCT4 was higher in grade II and grade III OSCC compared to grade I. There was no significant relationship between the gene expression of SOX2 or OCT4 to the demographic, site and stage of tumors. The correlation between SOX2 and OCT4 expression (p= 0.001) was significant in grade III OSCC specimens compared to other grades (p= 0.005, r= 0.68). The increased expression of SOX2 and OCT4 in higher grades and the significant correlation of these genes with each other among OSCC specimens could suggest the role of SOX2 or OCT4 in oral mucosal carcinogenesis.
Highlights
While the cancer stem cell theory has been proven for different cancers, more research is required to investigate the role of cancer stem cells (CSCs) in the development and progression of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) [20, 21]
Our results showed increased expression of sex-determining region Y-box 2 (SOX2) in OSCC tumoral tissue compared to dysplastic epithelium
An investigation led by Verma et al, found that 60 cases of oral epithelial dysplasia showed that an alteration in SOX2 is likely an important event in head and neck carcinogenesis [23]
Summary
Squamous cell carcinoma of oral cavity (OSCC) accounts for over 90% of oral neoplasms resulting in approximately 300,400 new cases, and, globally, a total of 145,400 cases result in mortality annually [1, 2]. Majority of the oral and oropharyngeal tumors are OSCC, where some may arise from previous lesions called potentially malignant oral lesions (PMOLs) These lesions show oral epithelial dysplasia (OED) with an increased risk of malignant transformation rate [3,4,5]. Over 90% of oral cancers including oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), originate from the oral cavity epithelium. Detection for this lesion is as important. We aimed to evaluate SOX2 and OCT4 gene expression among different grades of OSCC and oral epithelial dysplasia (OED) lesions. Conclusions: The increased expression of SOX2 and OCT4 in higher grades and the significant correlation of these genes with each other among OSCC specimens could suggest the role of SOX2 or OCT4 in oral mucosal carcinogenesis
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