TWIST and p-Akt immunoexpression in normal oral epithelium, oral dysplasia and in oral squamous cell carcinoma

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the immunoexpression of TWIST and p-Akt proteins in oralleukoplakia (OL) and oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), correlating their expressions with the histological features of the lesions. Study design: Immunohistochemical studies were carried out on 10 normal oral epithelium, 30 OL and 20 OSCC formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue samples. Immunoperoxidase reactions for TWIST and p-Akt proteins were applied on the specimens and the positivity of the reactions was calculated for 1000 epithelial cells. Results: Kruskal-Wallis and Dunn’s post tests revealed a significant difference in TWIST and p-Akt immune expression among normal oral mucosa, OL and OSCC. In addition, a significant positive correlation was found between TWIST and p-Akt expressions according to the Pearson’s correlation test. Conclusions: The results obtained in the current study suggest that TWIST and p-Akt may participate of the multistep process of oral carcinogenesis since its early stages (AU)

Granulocytic sarcoma of the oral cavity in a chronic myeloid leukemia patient: An unusual presentation

Intraoral granulocytic sarcoma is an unusual manifestation of chronic or acute leukemia. The oral manifestationsoften involve enlargements of the gingival and mucosal tissue from direct leukemic cell infiltration. Only 38 caseshave been reported in scientific literature to date. We present the case of a 47 year-old female who was diagnosedwith chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) in December 2006. She was referred to a dentist for further evaluation,revealing generalized gingival overgrowth as well as periodontal, apical disease, and bleeding of the gums. Anoral biopsy was performed and histological features revealed immature blast-like cells (AU)