Fascin Expression in Ameloblastoma, Odontogenic Keratocyst and Dentigerous Cyst

Objective: The purpose of this study was to assess and compare fascin expression in 4 lesions which differ in aggressiveness: odontogenic keratocyst, dentigerous cyst and two types of ameloblastoma (solid and unicystic), and to find out whether fascin expression is associated with aggressiveness of these lesions or not. Material and Method: Nine solid ameloblastomas , 12 unicystic ameloblastomas, 13 odontogenic keratocyst and 12 dentigerous cyst were assessed in this study. The slides were examined at x400 magnification. Finally the lesions were divided into two groups based on microscopic examination, "low expression" and "high expression". Results: There were no significant differences between the lesions, except that fascin expression was slightly higher in unicystic ameloblastomas in comparison to other groups in intensity and count of the immunostaining cells. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that local aggressiveness does not result in fascin expression. We suggest more studies with more samples, assessing expression of different proteins be done in the future

Fascin expression in pleomorphic adenoma and mucoepidermoid carcinoma

Background: Salivary gland tumors constitute an important part of oral and maxillofacial pathology. Pleomorphic adenoma (PA) and mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC) are the most common benign and malignant salivary gland tumors. Fascin is an actin-bundling protein that increases the motility of normal and transformed epithelial cells. The aims of the study were to determine the expression of fascin in these tumors and to determine its role in their progression. Materials and Methods: A total of 40 formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue blocks of PA, and 20 blocks of MEC were included in this study. Diagnostic confirmation was performed through examination of hematoxylin and eosin sections. Both tumors were immunohistochemically analyzed for the presence of fascin using Avidin-Biotin complex method and evaluated via light microscope by 2 independent observers. Statistical analysis was performed using Kruskal-Wallis and Chi-square tests with significant level of P < 0.05. Results: In both the tumors, the percentage of stained cells was significantly correlated with intensity of staining (P = 0.01 in PA and P = 0.00 in MEC). In PA, statistical analysis showed a significant direct correlation between percentage of stained cells and recurrence (P = 0.00). There was no significant correlation between intensity and percentage of staining with clinicopathologic factors in MEC. Conclusion: Fascin might be a useful marker for recurrence of PAs and patients with high fascin expression in primary PA should be followed up periodically to detect potential recurrence as soon as possible

Leiomyosarcoma of the maxilla: a rare challenging case

Leiomyosarcoma (LMS) is a rare malignant lesion of head and neck region. It usually arises from smooth muscle cells of blood vessel wall in this area. Clinically, the tumour often presents as a slow-growing, painless destructive mass with a relatively firm consistency. It usually involves adults, and is rarely reported in children. Here, we report a case of LMS of maxilla in a 73-year-old male with a destructive behaviour and also discuss the diagnostic procedure proposed to make a definitive diagnosis in such unusual cases

Assessment of the association of OCT3/4 with GLUT1 and CD105 in oral squamous cell carcinoma using dual immunohistochemistry

Abstract Background Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the most common cancer affecting the oral and maxillofacial region. This study aimed to investigate the role of cancer stem cells (CSCs) in angiogenesis and hypoxic response in OSCC. Methods This retrospective observational study evaluated 56 cases of OSCC using dual immunohistochemistry. Octamer-binding transcription factor 3/4 (OCT3/4) marker was used to evaluate CSC activity. Glucose transporter 1 (GLUT1) marker was used to evaluate the hypoxic response and angiogenesis, while endoglin (CD105) was used to evaluate the late stage of angiogenesis and blood vessel formation. Results Co-expression of OCT3/4 and GLUT1 was noted in 11 of 12 patients with grade III OSCC. However, we did not observe co-expression of these markers in 13 of 22 patients with grade I OSCC. Although we observed a significant correlation between co-expression of GLUT1 and OCT3/4 and tumor grade, there was no significant correlation between co-expression of OCT3/4 and CD105 and different grades of OSCC. Conclusions CSCs could play important roles in the initial stages of hypoxic response and angiogenesis. Our result reported that in higher grades of OSCC, GLUT1 as a first response to hypoxic situations might be a result of CSCs. Further studies are required to discover other biomarkers, their roles, and associated pathways of CSCs in OSCC

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