title: Podoplanin expression in oral leukoplakia: tumorigenic role.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Recent studies have identified podoplanin, a mucin-type transmembrane glycoprotein, as a biomarker for oral cancer risk in patients with oral leukoplakia (OPL). The aim of this study was to investigate the potential association between podoplanin and the risk of malignant transformation of OPL with epithelial dysplasia.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this retrospective study, podoplanin immunoexpression was analyzed in 58 patients with oral leukoplakia that showed epithelial dysplasia. Lesions with podoplanin expression in the basal and suprabasal layers of oral epithelium at one area or showing suprabasal expression at two or more areas were considered as positive. Association between podoplanin expression and oral cancer development was analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twenty-two of the 58 lesions (38%) were classified as podoplanin-positive, and the remaining 36 (62%) lesions were considered podoplanin-negative. The expression of podoplanin was correlated with the grade of dysplasia (p<0.0005), and with the risk of progression to oral cancer (p<0.0005). In multivariate survival analysis, only premalignant oral lesions displaying positive podoplanin expression showed a significantly increased risk of developing an oral squamous cell carcinoma (hazard ratio=8.738, p=0.007).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Podoplanin could be a valuable biomarker for risk assessment of malignant transformation in patients with OPL along with histological assessment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Oviedo, Hospital Universitario Central de Asturias, Oviedo, Asturias, Spain. jvicente@uniovi.es
authors.forename: Juan Carlos
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: de Vicente
authors.forename: Juan Pablo
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Rodrigo
authors.forename: Tania
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Rodriguez-Santamarta
authors.forename: Paloma
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lequerica-Fernández
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Allonca
authors.forename: Juana María
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: García-Pedrero
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000378:metabolism; D063646:Carcinogenesis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007972:Leukoplakia, Oral / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D000098853:Podoplanin
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; C117468:PDPN protein, human; D000098853:Podoplanin