title: Myofibroblasts and their relationship with oral squamous cell carcinoma.
abstract: Myofibroblasts are hybrid-phenotype differentiated cells in between fibroblasts and smooth muscle cells. Due to their contractile features and ability to synthesize extracellular matrix components, cytokines, proteases, and proangiogenic factors, myofibroblasts have been implicated in the pathogenesis of fibrocontractive diseases and in the progression of many tumors, including oral squamous cell carcinoma (SCC).
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To perform a literature review on the origin of myofibroblasts, their main morpho-physiological and immunohistochemical aspects, and to discuss the correlations with oral SCC.
  
  
  METHODS
  A search was made on the PubMed database to select the main papers in the literature in English related to the subject, published between January 1991 and December 2011.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Myofibroblasts are an important component of the stroma of oral SCCs, although they are not present in all tumors. Abundant presence of myofibroblasts may be associated with local disease recurrence and decreased patient survival. However, given the relatively limited number of studies on the subject, further research is needed to clarify the molecular mechanisms by which myofibroblasts influence the biological behavior of oral SCC.
authors.affiliation: Programa de Pós-Graduação em Odontologia, Universidade Estadual da Paraíba, Campina Grande, PB, Brazil.
authors.forename: Priscilla Suassuna Carneiro
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Lúcio
authors.forename: Alessandro Leite
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Cavalcanti
authors.forename: Pollianna Muniz
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Alves
authors.forename: Gustavo Pina
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Godoy
authors.forename: Cassiano Francisco Weege
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Nonaka
mesh_terms: D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000473:pathology*; D002471:Cell Transformation, Neoplastic / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D058628:Myofibroblasts / Q000473:pathology*