TY - JOUR
T1 - Sequential immunohistochemical p53 expression in biopsies of oral lichen planus undergoing malignant evolution
AU - Valente, Guido
AU - Pagano, Marco
AU - Carrozzo, Marco
AU - Carbone, Mario
AU - Bobba, Virginio
AU - Palestro, Giorgio
AU - Gandolfo, Sergio
PY - 2001
Y1 - 2001
N2 - Transformation in squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) may occur in a small percentage of patients affected by oral lichen planus (OLP), but the pathogenesis remains to be elucidated. Overexpression of p53 protein was investigated immunohistochemically in 28 cases of OLP, followed up by sequential biopsies for up to 96 months. In 15 cases (Group 1), no dysplastic changes or neoplastic transformation occurred during the follow-up period; in 7 cases, OLP and SCC were synchronously observed (Group 2), whereas in another 6 cases (Group 3) SCC developed several months or years after diagnosis of OLP. The percentage of p53-positive epithelial cells at first diagnosis was significantly higher in the cases of Groups 2 and 3 than in those of Group 1. In contrast, evaluation of growth fraction by MIB-1 monoclonal antibody did not show any statistical differences among the three groups. Although no conclusions can be drawn about the molecular pathway leading to neoplastic transformation of OLR, or about the role of p53, the results indicate that immunohistochemical evaluation of p53 expression may be a practical tool to select cases of OLP with a high risk of neoplastic transformation.
AB - Transformation in squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) may occur in a small percentage of patients affected by oral lichen planus (OLP), but the pathogenesis remains to be elucidated. Overexpression of p53 protein was investigated immunohistochemically in 28 cases of OLP, followed up by sequential biopsies for up to 96 months. In 15 cases (Group 1), no dysplastic changes or neoplastic transformation occurred during the follow-up period; in 7 cases, OLP and SCC were synchronously observed (Group 2), whereas in another 6 cases (Group 3) SCC developed several months or years after diagnosis of OLP. The percentage of p53-positive epithelial cells at first diagnosis was significantly higher in the cases of Groups 2 and 3 than in those of Group 1. In contrast, evaluation of growth fraction by MIB-1 monoclonal antibody did not show any statistical differences among the three groups. Although no conclusions can be drawn about the molecular pathway leading to neoplastic transformation of OLR, or about the role of p53, the results indicate that immunohistochemical evaluation of p53 expression may be a practical tool to select cases of OLP with a high risk of neoplastic transformation.
KW - Growth fraction
KW - Immunohistochemistry
KW - Lichen planus
KW - Squamous cell carcinoma
KW - p53
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0035125962&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1034/j.1600-0714.2001.300302.x
DO - 10.1034/j.1600-0714.2001.300302.x
M3 - Article
SN - 0904-2512
VL - 30
SP - 135
EP - 140
JO - Journal of Oral Pathology and Medicine
JF - Journal of Oral Pathology and Medicine
IS - 3
ER -