Aberrant expression and subcellular localization of laminin 332 in oral squamous cell carcinoma: Implications for invasive front assessment.

BACKGROUND

Laminin 332 (LM332) is a primary component of the epithelial BM. During malignant transformation, loss of continuity and cytoplasmic redistribution have been documented during tumor progression. This study aimed to evaluate LM332 expression at the basement membrane (BM) and in the cytoplasm of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and to investigate its association with histopathological characteristics.

MATERIAL AND

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted on 130 patients utilizing immunohistochemical techniques to examine LM332 expression.

RESULTS

In OSCC, LM332 expression at the BM was frequently fragmented in 62% of cases and absent in 18%. Conversely, LM332 was significantly overexpressed in the cytoplasm, with 95% of cases exhibiting positive staining (≥1+ based on the semi-quantitative scoring system). A statistically significant difference was observed between LM332 expression and the histological grade of OSCC (p<0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

LM332 immunohistochemical expression patterns may serve as an adjunctive marker reflecting histopathological progression in malignant oral epithelium.