Ki-67 Expression as a Prognostic Marker: A Comparative Immunohistochemical Analysis of Oral Epithelial Dysplasia and Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Abstract

Introduction Oral dysplasia is a frequent precancerous condition that may lead to oral cancer. The histopathologic abnormalities exhibited in a chronic, progressive, and premalignant condition of the oral mucosa are referred to as oral epithelial dysplasia (OED). It might show up as erythroplakia, leukoplakia, or leukoerythroplakia. OED is a premalignancy histologic marker that predicts a higher likelihood of squamous cell carcinoma development. Aims and objectives The aim of this study is to identify an association between Ki-67 protein expression and histological grading of OED and oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and to compare the expression of Ki-67 in different grades of OED and OSCC with the prognosis. Materials and methods The current retrospective research is focused on evaluating epithelial dysplasia and analyzing the function of Ki-67 as a prognostic marker after receiving institutional ethical approval. Group I - normal oral mucosa (NOM), Group II - OED, and Group III - OSCC were included in the study. For statistical analysis, SPSS Statistics version 21.0 (IBM Corp. Released 2021. IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 28.0. Armonk, NY: IBM Corp) was utilized. The Cox regression model was employed to look at interactions between various prognostic variables. At p<0.05, differences were deemed statistically significant. Results Ki-67 expression was confined to the basal layers in the normal oral epithelium and in the basal, suprabasal, and spinous layers in OED. Ki-67 positive cells were mostly found on the perimeter of well, moderate, and poorly differentiated OSCC tumor nests with Ki-67 positive cells scattered throughout OSCC. According to statistical analysis, there is a substantial difference in expression between OED and NOM, OSCC and NOM, and OED and OSCC. Conclusion Our study showed that there is a progressive increase in Ki-67 expression across various grades of OED, and the highest expression was noted in OSCC. Early identification and prompt treatment will help in improving the quality of life of such patients.

Prognostic and clinicopathological value of Ki-67 in patients with oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma: a systematic review and meta-analysis

“… 7 Ki-67 expression measured through immunohistochemical (IHC) staining has been identified as a biomarker to predict the prognosis of different cancer types, such as breast cancer, 8 multiple myeloma, 9 cervical cancer, 10 diffuse malignant peritoneal mesothelioma 11 and oral squamous cell carcinoma. 12 Many studies have examined the role of Ki-67 in predicting ESCC prognosis, but no consistent findings have been obtained. 13–23 For instance, Ki-67 upregulation has been found to be significantly associated with poor prognosis of ESCC in some studies.…”