Immunohistochemical Evaluation of Angiogenesis and Cell Proliferation in Tongue Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Objectives: Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is the most common malignant neoplasm of the oral cavity and a public health threat. Tumor progression is believed to be influenced by angiogenesis as well as tumor cell proliferation; however, the correlation of these two factors in tongue SCC still remains unclear. This study aimed to assess the correlation of these two factors in tongue SCC. Materials and Methods: Twenty-four paraffin block sections of tongue SCC were stained with monoclonal antibodies against CD105 and Ki-67. In order to assess the expressions of CD105 and Ki-67 to evaluate CD105 microvessel density (MVD), positively stained microvessels were counted in a predominantly vascular area (hot spot) in each specimen at ×400 magnification. The proliferation index was expressed as a percentage of Ki-67 positive cells. Data were analyzed by t-test and Pearson’s correlation coefficient (P<0.05). Results: The CD105 MVD was related to histological grading as well as Ki67 labeling index (LI; P= 0.045 and P=0.047, respectively). Both CD105 MVD and KI67 LI were unrelated to sex (P=0.41 and P=0.78, respectively) and age (P=0.20 and P=0.36, respectively) of the patients. No correlation was found between CD105 MVD and Ki67 LI (P=0.86). Conclusion: The mean CD105 MVD was significantly lower in poorly differentiated tumors. This finding suggests that CD105 MVD may serve as a valuable prognostic factor in tongue SCC. Absence of correlation between MVD and tumor cell proliferation indicates that these processes may be guided by unrelated mechanisms

OCT-4 Is a Good Predictive Biomarker for Local Recurrence in Head and Neck Basal Cell Carcinoma

Background and Aim: Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is considered to be the most common malignancy in humans and occurs primarily in the skin especially in the head and neck region. Considering the high recurrence rate of the tumor, finding a marker for prediction of recurrence is very important. Cancer stem cells are a small subpopulation in the tumors that are related to tumorigenesis and recurrence and OCT4 is a known stem cell marker. The present study was designed to explore the relation between expres-sion of OCT4 in the head and neck basal cell carcinoma and recurrence of the tumor. Materials and Methods: This study was performed on 84 patients with head and neck BCC who were followed up for 24 months. Immunohistochemical expression of OCT4 was assessed in paraffin embedded blocks. Results: Positive expression of OCT4 was significantly associated with the recurrence rate (P<0.001). Conclusion: We conclude that the expression of OCT4 can serve as a predictive marker for tumor recurrence in the head and neck basal cell carcinoma

Demographic Profile of Non-Odontogenic Jaw Lesions in an Iranian Population: A 30-Year Archive Review

Objectives: The frequency of non-odontogenic lesions of the jawbones is lower than that of odontogenic lesions; however, study of the epidemiologic data of these lesions is required for health care programs. This study aimed to assess the relative frequency and demographic profile of non-odontogenic jaw lesions in an Iranian population over a 30-year period. Materials and Methods: This archive review was performed using demographic and biopsy information of all patients with non-odontogenic lesions of the jawbones submitted to the Oral Pathology Department of Dental School of Tehran University of Medical Sciences from 1984 to 2014. Demographic data included in the study were: age at diagnosis, gender and location of lesion. The lesions were divided into three groups of group 1: cystic lesions, group 2: tumors and tumor-like lesions, and group 3: infectious/ inflammatory/reactive lesions. Frequency and clinical data were analyzed using SPSS 22. Results: Of 972 non-odontogenic jaw lesions, the ratio of mandibular to maxillary lesions was 1.63:1. Female to male ratio was 1.33:1 and the mean age of patients was 29.09±16.90 years. The most common non-odontogenic jaw lesion was central giant cell granuloma (CGCG). In groups 1, 2 and 3, nasopalatine duct cyst, CGCG, and osteomyelitis were the most frequent lesions, respectively. Conclusions: Non-odontogenic lesions of the jawbones are a diverse group of lesions with different frequency and behavior. This study demonstrated that tumors and tumor-like lesions of the jaws were more common than cystic and infectious/ inflammatory/reactive lesions. Overall, the most common non-odontogenic jaw lesion was CGCG.

Evaluation, Implementation and reassessment of the Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology course at the school of Dentistry, Tehran University of Medical Sciences

Introduction: Today, one of the most important challenges in teaching oral and maxillofacial pathology is how to teach it to dental students. The purpose of this study was to review the implementation and evaluation of the Practical Pathology Curriculum in order to achieve the goals of applied pathology education for dental students. Methods: First, a need assessment was conducted so that the view of students in the faculty of Tehran University of Medical Sciences who had completed the practical oral and maxillofacial pathology unit 2 during the last 2 years were collected using a questionnaire. Then, using the view of faculty members and considering the student opinions and reviewing the texts and similar experiences in other universities in the world, amendments were made to the course mentioned above. After the implementation of the modifications, we gathered the student’s view using the same questionnaire. Results: In the need assessment phase, 92 students (controls) and after the implementation of the modification, 62 students (cases) completed the questionnaire. A significant improvement in the assessment of students in some items such as their overall assessment of educational quality (p = 0. 008) and the mean score of the questionnaire (p = 0. 00) was observed. Regarding the students grades in the final exam, after the implementation of the modifications, a slight improvement was observed although this was not statistically significant (p = 0. 431). Conclusion: The above mentioned modifications results an improvement in the overall satisfaction of students with the teaching quality of practical pathology course, although the average score of the final exam did not show a significant increase

Correlation of EGFR Expression with Survival Rate in Patients with Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Background and Aim: This study aimed to indicate the role of epidermal growth factor (EGF) in proliferation and growth of epithelial tissue and to determine the correlation be-tween the frequency of expression of EGF receptor (EGFR) by means of immunohistochemistry with survival rate in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Materials and Methods: Thirty-eight cases of OSCC diagnosed by hematoxylin and eo-sin (H&E) staining were included in this prospective study, and immunohistochemistry for EGFR was applied using antibodies against EGFR. The total score of stained cells and the correlation between the total score and survival rate of patients were recorded. The data were analyzed by Kaplan-Meier, Spearman and the log rank tests using SPSS software version 20. Results: The mean age of patients was 71.8±1.09 years. The follow up range was 25-86 months. The mean survival time for EGFR score 3 (51±9.32 months) was significantly higher than that for score 4, (28.64±4.1 months) (P=0.002) and overexpression of EGFR was correlated with poor prognosis. A significant correlation was found between the grade of tumor and EGFR scale (P=0.049, R=0.318). There was no significant correlation between EGFR overexpression and OSCC stage (P>0.05). Conclusion: EGFR is probably an independent prognostic factor for assessment of survival rate. A correlation also exists between the grade of tumor and expression of EGFR