Background: Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is one of the most commonly detected neoplasms worldwide. Not all mechanisms associated with cell cycle disturbances are known in OSCC. Examples of genes involved in the control of the cell cycle are CDKN2A, MDM2, E2F2 and LTF. The aim of this study was to examine the possible association between CDKN2A, MDM2, E2F2 and LTF mRNA expression and influence on clinical variables. Methods: The study group consisted of 88 Polish patients. The gene expression levels were assessed by quantitative reverse transcription PCR. Results: We found no statistically significant differences in the expression level of CDKN2A, MDM2, E2F2 and LTF genes in tumour samples compared to margin samples. No association was found between the gene expression levels and clinical parameters, except E2F2. The patients with G2 tumours had a significantly higher gene expression level of E2F2 than patients with low-grade G1 tumours. Conclusions: We have not demonstrated that a change in expression profiles of genes has a significant impact on the pathogenesis of OSCC. It may also be useful to conduct further studies on the use of E2F2 expression profile changes as a factor to describe the invasiveness and dynamics of OSCC development.

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is one of the most prevalent types of cancers worldwide. LTF arrests the G1 to S phase transition of the cell cycle. This study is the first that has aimed to determine the possible association between the LTF polymorphisms (rs2073495, rs1126478, rs34827868, rs1042073, rs4637321, rs2239692 and rs10865941), the mRNA LTF expression, the risk of OSCC and the influence on the TNM staging and histological grading. This study was composed of 176 Polish patients, including 88 subjects diagnosed with OSCC and 88 healthy individuals. QuantStudio Design and Analysis Software v1.5.1 was used for the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) analysis and mRNA LTF expression. The G/G genotype of rs2073495 and the G/G genotype of rs4637321 were linked, with an increased risk of OSCC. There were no significant influences between the TNM staging and the histological grading and the LTF genotype. We found no statistically significant dissimilarities in the expression level of LTF genes in the tumour and margin specimens. No association was found between the gene expression levels, the other parameters or LTF polymorphisms in the tumour and margin samples. In conclusion, rs2073495 and rs4637321 polymorphisms may affect the risk of OSCC. These results should be validated on larger and different cohorts to better comprehend the role of the LTF gene in OSCC.