The Expression of p63 Protein in Different Grades of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma- An Immunohistochemical Study

BACKGROUND Oral squamous cell carcinoma is one of the leading cancers throughout the world, especially in the developing countries. Head and neck cancer leads to considerable morbidity and mortality. p63 protein is a promising marker in the study of oral squamous cell carcinoma because of its diverse role in tumour suppression as well as its oncogenic properties. In this study, we have evaluated the qualitative and quantitative p63 expression in different grades of oral squamous cell carcinoma using immunohistochemistry. METHODS 52 cases of OSCC were subjected to immunohistochemistry with p63 primary antibody. The intensity of staining as well as the percentage of cells stained was evaluated. Immunohistochemical expression of p63 in different grades of OSCC was studied. RESULTS Highly significant association was observed between intensity of p63 and different grades of OSCC. Percentage of cells stained for p63 and different grades of OSCC showed a very highly significant association. There was a very highly significant association between Immunoreactive score for p63 staining in different grades of OSCC. CONCLUSIONS p63 is a useful marker in the context of oral cancer diagnosis and management. p63 can help in determining the tumour behaviour in different grades of oral squamous cell carcinoma.