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Expression of epithelial cell adhesion molecule (Ep CAM ) in oral squamous cell carcinoma
Author(s) -
Sen Subhalakshmi,
Carnelio Sunitha
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
histopathology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.626
H-Index - 124
eISSN - 1365-2559
pISSN - 0309-0167
DOI - 10.1111/his.12870
Subject(s) - epithelial cell adhesion molecule , immunohistochemistry , pathology , staining , carcinoma , cell adhesion molecule , medicine , metastasis , cancer , immunology
Aims To study the expression of epithelial cell adhesion molecule (Ep CAM ) in oral squamous cell carcinoma ( OSCC ) by immunohistochemistry and investigate its association with various clinicopathological parameters, including patient survival. Methods and results This cross‐sectional study was carried out on 60 histologically confirmed cases of OSCC . Ep CAM expression was evaluated by the indirect streptavidin–biotin method and was then assessed semiquantitatively in terms of staining proportion, staining intensity and total staining. The immunoprofile of Ep CAM was correlated with clinicopathological parameters such as gender, habit, tumour size, site, regional lymph node and distant metastasis, clinical stage, histological grade, local tumour recurrence and patient survival. Ep CAM expression was found to be absent in normal oral mucosa. However, positive staining was seen in 51 of 60 OSCC cases and Ep CAM overexpression in 11 specimens. Overexpression of Ep CAM was associated significantly with tumour size, histological grade, local recurrence of tumour and patient survival. Conclusions Ep CAM serves as a potential biomarker of prognostic significance that could be used to identify patients at high risk and to predict patient survival. Moreover, Ep CAM antigen represents an attractive target for immunotherapeutic approaches in a subgroup of patients with Ep CAM ‐positive OSCC .