THE PROGNOSIS OF ORAL MUCOSAL SQUAMOUS-CELL CARCINOMAS - A COMPARISONOF CLINICAL AND HISTOPATHOLOGICAL GRADING AND OF LAMININ AND TYPE-IV COLLAGEN STAINING
Na. Firth et Pc. Reade, THE PROGNOSIS OF ORAL MUCOSAL SQUAMOUS-CELL CARCINOMAS - A COMPARISONOF CLINICAL AND HISTOPATHOLOGICAL GRADING AND OF LAMININ AND TYPE-IV COLLAGEN STAINING, Australian dental journal, 41(2), 1996, pp. 83-86
Changes in the distribution of basement membrane components have been
described in dysplastic lesions and in oral mucosal squamous cell carc
inomas (OMSCC). The purpose of this study was to determine if these ch
anges were related to pathological grade and if so, whether this had p
rognostic implications. Fifty formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded specim
ens of OMSCC, with five or more years clinical follow-up, were studied
using an immunoperoxidase technique for the detection of the basement
membrane components, laminin and type IV collagen. The immunoreactivi
ty of each component was evaluated and semiquantitatively scored as mi
nimal, moderate or extensive and the results compared with the tumour
size, node involvement and metastasis (TNM) clinical staging system an
d histopathological features. OMSCC were characterized by minimal or m
oderate staining with small islands of neoplastic cells frequently lac
king staining for laminin and type IV collagen. Deposition of these co
mponents decreased with increased histopathological grade and absence
of staining was more commonly associated with a poor prognosis. In par
ticular the pattern of type IV collagen staining frequently differed f
rom laminin staining. Neither of these parameters offered an advantage
over TNM clinical staging with regard to prognosis. It was concluded
that variations in laminin and type IV collagen immunoreactivity occur
red in OMSCC and that high histopathological grade tumours with consid
erably diminished staining with anti-laminin and anti-type IV collagen
carried a poor prognosis.