Co-expression of P53 and Ki67 in premalignant and malignant oral/oropharyngeal biopsies in Bundelkhand Region, India

Background and Aim: India is the third most common country being entitled as “The Oral Cancer Capital of the World.” Around one-third cancer deaths are due to tobacco use. In India, oral cancer ranks first among all cancers in men and second among all cancers in women. p53 over-expression has been widely demonstrated to be a reliable predictor of progression to oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Ki67 expression is strictly associated with cell proliferation and used as a proliferation marker. Oral cancer was studied in Bundelkhand region with special reference to Gutkha (a form of tobacco) chewing and relative risk. p53 and Ki 67 expression was assessed in premalignant and malignant oral and oropharyngeal lesions and their correlation was evaluated. Materials and Methods: A descriptive study including both prospective and retrospective studies carried over a period of 18 months (April 2019–September 2020) at Department of Pathology, Maharani Laxmi Bai Medical College, Jhansi, India. Immunohistochemical evaluation was done by using markers: anti p53 and anti K67 markers with positive control, i.e. p53 – colon and Ki 67 – tonsil) sections stained omitting primary antibody were taken as negative control. Results: OSCC and premalignant oral lesions are at high incidence in Bundelkhand region, India. Tobacco is found to be most identifiable risk factor with risk ratio of 0.45. Conclusion: The over/co-expression of p53 and Ki67 plays a pivotal role in labeling and predictive marker for malignant transformation as their intensity and pattern of staining increases with increasing grade (highly statistically significant; Pearson's correlation applied).