Correlation of CD133 and Oct-4 expression with clinicopathological and demographic parameters in oral squamous cell carcinoma patients.

OBJECTIVE:Squamous cell carcinoma of oral cavity is one of the most common cancers of Indian subcontinent with the 5-year survival rate of 50% despite the recent advances in the treatment. The aim of the present study was to study cancer stem cell markers CD133 and Oct-4 in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) patients and their correlation with clinicopathological variables. MATERIALS AND METHODS:This was a prospective study which included 50 cases of histopathologically proven squamous cell carcinoma of oral cavity. Expression of CD133 and Oct-4 was evaluated by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and their expression was correlated with various clinicopathological and demographic parameters. RESULTS:CD133 expression was seen in 20.6% cases of clinical Stage I-II and in 79.4% of clinical stage of III-IV OSCC patients, the difference being statistically significant with the P = 0.048. There was no statistically significant association between CD133 expression and any other clinicopathological or demographic variable. Oct-4 was expressed only in one case. CONCLUSIONS:CD133 expression was significantly seen higher in Stage III-IV tumors, the stem cells may be responsible for the aggressiveness of the OSCCs and these stem cells can be potential prognostic markers and targets for the future targeted therapy.