IADR Abstract Archives
FOXP3 and p53 Expression in a Sudanese Cohort of OSCC
Objectives: Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) has high incidence, morbidity and mortality rates in Sudan. FOXP3 positive T-regulatory cells play a major role in instrumenting the downregulation of an efficient immune response to malignancy, while high expression and mutations of p53 are widely implicated in carcinogenesis and its maintenance. Our aim was to investigate whether presence of FOXP3 positive inflammatory cells has any correlation with changes in p53 expression in a Sudanese OSCC cohort.
Methods: Formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissues (N=98) from Sudanese OSCC patients (mean age=60.31±14.70years) diagnosed in 2012-2015 at Khartoum Dental Teaching Hospital (KDTH) were subjected to immunohistochemistry (IHC) to assess FOXP3 and p53 expression. FOXP3 positive inflammatory cells and p53 positive tumor-cells at tumors front were counted and the results were semi-quantitatively evaluated (FOXP: 0=no stained-cells, 1=few dispersed cells, 2=1+small foci of <10 cells, and 3=2+foci of >10 cells; p53: 0=<10% stained-cells, 1≥10% and <50%, and 2≥50%). Clinical stages were obtained by the patients’ journals at KDTH (Early stage group (ES)= stages I and II; late stage group (LS)= stages III and IV). Statistical analysis performed using SPSS 23.0.
Results: Sixty-nine tumors (70.4%) showed low-FOXP3 score and 29 tumors (29.6%) expressed high-FOXP3 score, with no statically significant differences between early and late stage cases in each score group (low score: 11(16.9%) ES vs 54(83.1%) LS; high score: 6(21.4%) ES vs 22(78.6%) LS. LS accounted for 14(82.4%) of positive p53 tumors and 15(83.3%) of strongly positive p53 tumors (p=0.97). FOXP3 expression was not significantly correlated with p53 expression (p=0.159), but was significantly correlated with survival status analysis (dead vs alive) with high score FOXP3 in 15(45.4%) of alive patients and 7(16.3%) of dead patients (p=0.021).
Conclusions: Higher FOXP3 score observed in alive OSCC patients but no correlation between FOXP3 and p53 counts.
Methods: Formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissues (N=98) from Sudanese OSCC patients (mean age=60.31±14.70years) diagnosed in 2012-2015 at Khartoum Dental Teaching Hospital (KDTH) were subjected to immunohistochemistry (IHC) to assess FOXP3 and p53 expression. FOXP3 positive inflammatory cells and p53 positive tumor-cells at tumors front were counted and the results were semi-quantitatively evaluated (FOXP: 0=no stained-cells, 1=few dispersed cells, 2=1+small foci of <10 cells, and 3=2+foci of >10 cells; p53: 0=<10% stained-cells, 1≥10% and <50%, and 2≥50%). Clinical stages were obtained by the patients’ journals at KDTH (Early stage group (ES)= stages I and II; late stage group (LS)= stages III and IV). Statistical analysis performed using SPSS 23.0.
Results: Sixty-nine tumors (70.4%) showed low-FOXP3 score and 29 tumors (29.6%) expressed high-FOXP3 score, with no statically significant differences between early and late stage cases in each score group (low score: 11(16.9%) ES vs 54(83.1%) LS; high score: 6(21.4%) ES vs 22(78.6%) LS. LS accounted for 14(82.4%) of positive p53 tumors and 15(83.3%) of strongly positive p53 tumors (p=0.97). FOXP3 expression was not significantly correlated with p53 expression (p=0.159), but was significantly correlated with survival status analysis (dead vs alive) with high score FOXP3 in 15(45.4%) of alive patients and 7(16.3%) of dead patients (p=0.021).
Conclusions: Higher FOXP3 score observed in alive OSCC patients but no correlation between FOXP3 and p53 counts.