Estrogen and Progesterone hormone receptor expression in oral cavity cancer

Recent studies have shown an increase in the incidence of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) in younger patients. The hypothesis that tumors could be hormonally induced during pregnancy or in young female patients without the well-known risk factors alcohol or tobacco abuse seems to be plausible. Estrogen Receptor alpha (ER?) and Progesterone Receptor (PR) expression were analyzed in normal oral mucosa (n=5), oral precursor lesions (simple hyperplasia, n=11; squamous intraepithelial neoplasia, SIN I-III, n=35), and OSCC specimen. OSCCs were stratified in a young female (n=7) study cohort and older patients (n=46). In the young female study cohort three patients (n=3/7) developed OSCC during or shortly after pregnancy. Breast cancer tissues were used as positive control for ER? and PR expression. ER? expression was found in four oral precursor lesions (squamous intraepithelial neoplasia, SIN I-III, n=4/35, 11%) and in five OSCC specimen (n=5/46, 11%). The five ER? positive OSCC samples were older male patients. All patients within the young female study cohort were negatively stained for both ER? and PR. ER expression could be regarded as a seldom risk factor for OSCC. PR expression seems to be not relevant for the development of OSCC

Serum vitamin D levels of patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and expression of vitamin D receptor in oral precancerous lesions and OSCC

Background: Resistance to programmed cell death (apoptosis) is a crucial factor for the carcinogenesis of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Vitamin D (calcitriol) may overcome apoptosis resistance in tumor cells of OSCC. Vitamin D receptor (VDR) expression in oral precancerous lesions of OSCC has not been analyzed and serum vitamin D level seems to be a predictor of cancer development. Material and Methods: Expression of VDR was analyzed in normal oral mucosa (n=5), oral precursor lesions (simple hyperplasia, n=11; squamous intraepithelial neoplasia, SIN I-III, n=35), and OSCC specimen (n=42) by immunohistochemistry (IHC). Moreover, serum vitamin D levels were measured by 25(OH)D3 (calcidiol) in patients with OSCC (n=42) and correlated with IHC results. Results: Expression of VDR was significantly increased in precancerous and OSCC compared with normal tissue. Compared with SIN I-III lesions VDR expression significantly decreased in OSCC. Severe vitamin D deficiency was detected in our OSCC patient cohort but there was no significant correlation analyzed between serum vitamin D levels and corresponding immunohistochemically detected VDR expression in OSCC. Conclusions: Our survey provides the first evidence of VDR expression in precancerous lesions of OSCC. Apoptosis induction of VDR+ cells in oral precancerous lesions and OSCC by natural vitamin D or synthetic vitamin D compounds could be useful for chemoprevention. Moreover, systemically and/or locally applied, these compounds may act as sensitizers for apoptosis mediated by radio-, and chemotherapy treatment in OSCC