Expression of Cell Cycle-associated Proteins p53, pRb, p16, p27, and Correlation With Survival: A Comparative Study on Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma and Verrucous Carcinoma

Controversies in verruco papillary lesions of the oral cavity-A systematic review

INTRODUCTION

Verruco papillary lesions (VPL) in the oral cavity encompass a spectrum of lesions starting from benign, potentially malignant to entirely malignant tumors. Much of the controversies in these entities occur due to lack of consensus on the disease characteristics and the management. This systematic review was conducted to identify and describe different lesions categorized as VPL in the oral cavity and their association with malignancy.

METHODS

An electronic literature search was conducted in MEDLINE (via PubMed), Scopus, LILAC, IMSEAR, and CENTRAL databases, which retrieved a total of 1020 abstracts. These abstracts were managed through Rayyan and Mendeley software, and only 28 studies with high quality were included in the systematic review.

RESULTS

Studies were published from 1992 to 2021. From the extracted data, nine different entities under the umbrella term VPL were identified associated with malignancy. We describe the clinical and histopathological characteristics of these and propose a uniform framework for nomenclature.

CONCLUSIONS

Lack of well-planned research with adequate follow-up duration and inadequate quality standards are major barriers for the lack of evidence. The use of uniform nomenclature, as proposed in this study, and research at the molecular level will greatly reduce the controversies in understanding oral VPL associated with malignancy.

Oral verrucous carcinoma: a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge

BACKGROUND

Verrucous carcinoma is a low-grade variant of squamous cell carcinoma with specific morphologic, cytokinetic and clinical features. Despite low mitotic activity and slow growth, it can infiltrate adjacent tissues in advanced stages but does not metastasize. The most frequently affected site is the oral cavity. The following article provides latest updates in the etiology, clinical presentation, diagnostics and treatment options in oral verrucous carcinoma and discusses the existing dilemmas linked to this unique malignancy.

CONCLUSIONS

Oral verrucous carcinoma must be differentiated from conventional squamous cell carcinoma due to its less aggressive behaviour with a more favourable prognosis. Close communication between clinician and pathologist is mandatory for making a correct diagnosis. Primary surgery with negative surgical margins seems to be the most successful treatment. However, management recommendations are not uniform since they are mostly based on case reports and small retrospective case series. Prospective and pooled multi-institutional studies are therefore needed.

The Role of Macrophages in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Oral cancer is a common malignancy worldwide, with high disease-related death rates. Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) accounts for more than 90% of oral tumors, with surgical management remaining the treatment of choice. However, advanced and metastatic OSCC is still incurable. Thus, emphasis has been given lately in understanding the complex role of the oral tumor microenvironment (TME) in OSCC progression, in order to identify novel prognostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets. Tumor associated macrophages (TAMs) constitute a major population of the OSCC TME, with bipolar role in disease progression depending on their activation status (M1 vs. M2). Here, we provide an up to date review of the current literature on the role of macrophages during oral oncogenesis, as well as their prognostic significance in OSCC survival and response to standard treatment regimens. Finally, we discuss novel concepts regarding the potential use of macrophages as targets for OSCC immunotherapeutics and suggest future directions in the field.

A systematic investigation of the association between HPV and the clinicopathological parameters and prognosis of oral and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinomas

Human papillomavirus (HPV), the causal factor of cervical cancers, was closely linked to the etiology and prognosis of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC), but its role in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) was unclear. In addition, few researches based on Chinese population were documented. Hence, we sought to investigate the relationship of HPV marker P16 protein to the clinicopathological parameters and survival of OPSCC and OSCC patients systematically to assess the influence of ethnic, regional difference on HPV susceptibility. Specimens from 93 OPSCC patients and 95 OSCC patients were recut, and P16 immunohistochemistry (IHC) was performed. Moreover, survival analysis was conducted to confirm the independent factors that influenced the prognosis. The P16 results were positive in 25.8% and 9.5% of patients with OPSCC and OSCC, respectively. The overall survival (OS) of HPV-positive OPSCC patients was significantly longer than that of HPV-negative OPSCC patients (P = 0.004). Conversely, statistical significance was not observed regarding the OS of OSCC patients (P = 0.343). Cox regression analysis indicated that T stage and P16 status were independent factors that affected the prognosis of OPSCC patients, and the smoking index influenced the prognosis of OSCC patients. Among OPSCC patients who received radiochemotherapy (RCT), HPV-positive patients had a better survival rate than their HPV-negative counterparts (P = 0.015). Conversely, no significant difference was observed between HPV-positive and HPV-negative OSCC patients who received RCT (P = 0.237). P16 is a credible surrogate by which to define HPV status. HPV expression had a favorable effect on OPSCC patients as opposed to their OSCC counterparts in this single center population-based study.

Oral verrucous carcinoma: From multifactorial etiology to diverse treatment regimens (Review)

Oral verrucous carcinoma (OVC) is a verrucous variant of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), which accounts for 2-12% of all oral carcinomas with a 5-year survival rate of only approximately 50%. Enormous effort has been dedicated to this cancer, and the past decades have witnessed significant advances in relevant diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. Currently, there exist three challenges from primary sub-fields of research and clinical practice of the cancer, namely multifactorial etiology, complex molecular mechanism, and deficient treatment. This study reviews the existing literature on the cancer, encompassing its etiology, clinical manifestations and pathology, molecular mechanism, diagnosis and differential diagnosis, and treatment. For improved treatment of OVC, multifactorial etiology analysis, incorporation of effective biomarkers for mechanism illustration, and integration of multidisciplinary modalities are expounded, in an attempt to resolve the challenges and to provide a useful guide for future research in the field.