Assessment of Egfr Expression In Different Grades of Leukoplakia – A Cross Sectional Study

Abstract

Introduction: Oral carcinogenesis is a multistage molecular and histological process displaying a number of genetic and phenotypic changes at each stage. The progression towards malignancy therefore includes a series of histopathologicalalterations ranging from reactive hyperkeratosis to hyperplasia progressing to dysplasia, eventually into carcinoma insitu and invasive carcinoma. Material and Methodology: A total of 42 participants clinically diagnosed with leukoplakia were histopathologically categorised in two groups: with and without epithelial dysplasia. Furthermore biopsy tissue from each participant was subjected to immunohistochemistry for EGFR expression. EGFR expression was correlated to dysplasia and compared within two groups. Results: EGFR was over expressed in leukoplakias with dysplasia. A statistically significant difference was seen in the expression of EGFR in dysplastic cases compared to that of non dysplastic cases (p<0.001). Conclusion: EGFR over-expression can be one of the useful diagnostic markers. High risk subgroups can be recognised using this biomarker and can also be used for predicting the potential biologic behaviour of oral leukoplakia with dysplasia, transforming into oral squamous cell carcinoma.