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Doctoral Thesis | Dental Science | India | Volume 12 Issue 6, June 2023
Assessment of Human Telomerase Reverse Transcriptase Expression in Different Grades of Oral Epithelial Dysplasias and Oral Squamous Cell Carcinomas: An Immunohistochemical Study
Dr. Aritra Bhaumik | Dr. Sayani Shome | Dr. Anurag Nath
Abstract: Context: Oral cancer is a highly relevant problem of global public health, especially for dental surgeons. Many oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCCs) develop from potentially malignant disorders (PMDs), characterized histopathologically by dysplastic changes, which manifest as red and white lesions. A specialized ribonucleoprotein complex called telomerase stabilizes telomeres by addition of ?TAG? repeats to the ends of chromosomes. It has been postulated that telomerase reactivation appears to play an important role in the process of cell immortalization, promoting the accumulation of genetic abnormalities and accelerating the process of tumorigenesis. Aims: The aim of the study was to assess human Telomerase Reverse Transcriptase (hTERT) expression in different grades of OEDs and OSCCs and to establish its role as a diagnostic marker of OSCC. Settings and Design: The present study was conducted in Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, Maitri College of Dentistry and Research Centre, Durg, Chhattisgarh, India. Methods and Material: The study group comprised 5 specimens of non - inflamed normal oral mucosa collected from extraction sockets of patients as a control group, 60 cases of clinically diagnosed leukoplakia/erythroplakia and histopathologically diagnosed with various grades of dysplasia and 60 cases of clinically and histopathologically diagnosed Oral Squamous Cell carcinoma. hTERT staining within each cell was studied in respect of localization of stain within the nucleus and cytoplasm and the percentage of cells stained. The various types of nuclear staining examined were dot - like (1?3 small discrete dots within the nucleus), granular (>3 coarse dots), smooth (homogenous brown). Statistical analysis used: All data obtained were analyzed by Pearson?s Chi - square test (p=0.05). Results: The results revealed a predominance of dot - like nuclear staining of both oral epithelial dysplasia samples as well as oral squamous cell carcinoma samples as compared to normal oral mucosa (p=0.0). Conclusions: From our study, it was concluded that hTERT expression, along with advanced tools like RT - PCR and FISH, can be used as an effective diagnostic marker of OSCC.
Keywords: Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma, Oral Epithelial Dysplasia, human Telomerase Reverse Transcriptase
Edition: Volume 12 Issue 6, June 2023,
Pages: 1762 - 1767