Klotho and GATA4 Immunoexpression in Oral Leukoplakia and Oral Carcinoma

Objectives: Klotho, recognized for its anti-aging characteristics, and GATA4, a transcription factor associated with senescence, have been studied in the development of various cancers. Although their roles in carcinogenesis are acknowledged, the precise functions of klotho and GATA4 in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) remain unclear.
Methods: We performed an immunohistochemical analysis on 82 oral leukoplakia (OLP) and 77 OSCC specimens to evaluate the expression of klotho and GATA4. The Mann-Whitney U-test compared two groups, while the Kruskal-Wallis H-test was employed for three or more groups. Survival rates in OSCC patients with low and high immunoexpression groups were assessed using Kaplan-Meier survival tests.
Results: Elevated expressions of both klotho and GATA4 were significantly identified in OSCC compared to OLP. While klotho displayed a potential correlation with disease progression in clinicopathological aspects, GATA4 expression did not show a clear association. A subtle link to better overall survival was observed in the low klotho expression group, with no significant differences in survival probability was noted between high and low GATA4 expression group.
Conclusions: These findings imply a potential correlation of klotho and GATA4 with the development and behavior of OSCC.