Background: The number of patients with oral cancer in India is increasing gradually (especially in younger people). Although the diagnostic modalities and therapeutic management of oral cancer are improving, the treatment outcome and prognosis of oral cancer remain poor. The absence of definite early warning symptoms for most head and neck cancers suggests that sensitive and specific biomarkers are likely to be important in screening for high-risk patients. Aims: To analyze serum adenosine deaminase (ADA) levels in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) cases who reported to our institute. Materials and Methods: A prospective study was performed on 100 histopathologically proven cases of OSCC (study group) and 100 normal healthy individuals (control group). Independent sample and one sample t-tests and one way ANOVA followed by Tuckey's POST HOC test were conducted for analysis. Results: Statistically significant increase in serum ADA levels was observed in OSCC cases compared to the control group. Also serum ADA level increased significantly with the histopathological grade. Conclusions: Serum ADA levels in OSCC may be a useful diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers in clinical practice and our findings suggest that a large-scale study is warranted to confirm clinical utility as a prognostic and diagnostic biomarker.

Podoplanin, a transmembrane sialoglycoprotein, is a specific marker for lymphatic endothelial cells which in recent years has gained prominent notoriety for its role in tumor progression and metastasis. It is an extensively studied biomarker for predictive assessment of malignant transformation as well as biologic behavior in both human precancer and cancer, respectively. This review summarizes the association of podoplanin overexpression in oral potentially malignant disorders and oral cancer with special emphasis on its putative role in carcinogenesis as well as its prospective use in targeted therapy.

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There is increasing evidence that the growth and spread of cancers is driven by a small subpopulation of cancer stem cells (CSCs)—the only cells that are capable of long-term self-renewal and generation of the phenotypically diverse tumor cell population. CSCs have been identified and isolated in a variety of human cancers including head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). The concept of cancer stem cells may have profound implications for our understanding of tumor biology and for the design of novel treatments targeted toward these cells. The present review is an attempt to conceptualize the role of CSCs in HNSCC—its implication in tumorigenesis and the possible additional approach in current treatment strategies.