Cytogenetic biomonitoring in oral leukoplakia patients with mild dysplasia

State of art of micronuclei assay in exfoliative cytology as a clinical biomarker of genetic damage in oral carcinogenesis: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the most common oral malignancy, often preceded by oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMDs). Currently, no clinical biomarker exists to predict malignancy, necessitating OPMD follow-up. Habits and environmental factors, such as smoking, and alcohol consumption, influence OSCC onset. Increased micronuclei (MNs) formation has been observed in the development of OSCC. Non-invasive diagnostic tests like exfoliative cytology offer painless and regular monitoring options. This study evaluates the impact of tobacco, alcohol, and pesticide exposure on MNs occurrence in exfoliative cytology-collected oral mucosal cells, assessing their potential as non-invasive biomarker for OSCC development prediction and monitoring in high-risk patients. Despite results from this meta-analysis supporting the existence of a stepwise increase from controls to patients with OPMD to OSCC, the translation of these findings into clinical practice is limited due to intra- and inter-individual heterogeneity, as well as methodological variability in MNs quantification. Various factors contribute to this heterogeneity, including demographic variables, methodological variability of different laboratories, staining techniques, sample collection location, and patient characteristics. All these points were discussed to provide further insights and improve standardization for future studies.

Cytological changes in oral mucosa induced by smokeless tobacco

INTRODUCTION

This study investigated the cellular changes in the mouth of smokeless tobacco (shamma) users among Saudi citizens from the Najran region.

METHODS

Healthy 61 shamma users and healthy 61 non-users participated in this study after informed consent. A mouth swap was taken from each study subject and investigated for cellular changes using a Papanicolaou stain. The results were analyzed using the t-test per cent of the StatPac statistical program.

RESULTS

Keratinization, binucleation and combined results were associated with shamma use. The number of shamma users with abnormal histology was 14 (22.9%) (p≤0.0001). The shamma types associated with the abnormal cytology were: Suhaily (9/36; p=0.0014), black (2/9; p=0.08), white (2/6; p=0.41), and red (1/1; p=1.00). The percentage of the tissues with abnormal histology decreased with the increase in the duration and frequency of smokeless tobacco use, except for the white shamma which increased with the increase in the frequency.

CONCLUSIONS

Shamma use affected the mouth epithelial cytology of 22.9% of its users. The histological changes were inflammation, keratinization, binucleation, and atypia. The Suhaily smokeless tobacco was associated with the highest percentage of the abnormal cytology results, while the duration and frequency of smokeless tobacco use decreased the number of tissues with abnormal histology.

Effect of HIV infection in the micronuclei frequency on the oral mucosa

BACKGROUND

The genotoxic impact of HIV infection on the oral cavity malignancies is unknown. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of HIV infection in micronucleus (MN) frequency on the oral mucosa of HIV+ patients and establish a relationship with early cytogenetic changes in oral carcinogenesis.

METHODS

Thirty HIV+ individuals who are under highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) and 30 non-HIV patients were evaluated. Two smears were taken from the lateral border of the tongue and mouth floor and stained by Feulgen. The frequency of MN was examined in 3000 cells per subject under common microscopy.

RESULTS

MN analysis showed no significant difference between groups by Mann-Whitney U-test for total MNs (P = 0.178). The presence of single MN was greater in control group with statistical significance (P = 0.009), while in HIV group, multiple MNs were exhibited in higher mean.

CONCLUSIONS

HIV patients under HAART therapy and low viral load values showed higher frequency of multiple MNs, which, although not statistically significant, may be caused by the action of the Vpr gene, an accessory gene of HIV. These results corroborate the theory of HIV infection cytogenetic damage.