title: Aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 expression correlated with malignant potential of oral lichen planus.
abstract: Oral lichen planus (OLP) is a potentially malignant disorder associated with an increased risk of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). The objective of this study was to determine protein expression of cancer stem cell marker aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 (ALDH1) in a series of patients with OLP and evaluate the correlation between ALDH1 expression and the risk of progression to OSCC. In a retrospective study, ALDH1 expression was determined using immunohistochemistry in samples from 101 patients with OLP who received a mean follow-up of 5 years, including 89 patients with untransformed OLP that did not develop into OSCC and 12 patients with malignant transformed OLP that had developed into OSCC. Analysis of 10 cases of normal oral mucosa and 6 cases of postmalignant OSCC form previously diagnosed OLP was also performed. The results showed that ALDH1 expression was observed in 27 (30.3%) of 89 cases of untransformed OLP and in 8 (66.7%) of 12 cases of transformed OLP (P = .021). Aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 was not expressed in normal oral mucosa, but it overexpressed in the 6 cases (100%) of OSCC. Multivariate analysis revealed that ALDH1 expression was significantly associated with a 6.71-fold (95% confidence interval, 1.64-27.42; P = .008) increased risk of malignant transformation. Collectively, ALDH1 expression was significantly associated with malignant transformation in a large series of patients with OLP. Our findings suggested that ALDH1 expression may identify a subgroup of a higher risk of malignant transformation of OLP.
authors.affiliation: Department of Stomatology, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Ziyuan
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Zhengyu
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.forename: Linjun
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.forename: Hongying
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Zengtong
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhou
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000080924:Aldehyde Dehydrogenase 1 Family; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000473:pathology; D002471:Cell Transformation, Neoplastic / Q000378:metabolism*; D002648:Child; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007527:Isoenzymes / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D017676:Lichen Planus, Oral / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000473:pathology; D050697:Retinal Dehydrogenase / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D007527:Isoenzymes; D000080924:Aldehyde Dehydrogenase 1 Family; C510223:ALDH1A1 protein, human; D050697:Retinal Dehydrogenase
keywords: ALDH1; Cancer stem cell marker; Malignant transformation; Oral cancer; Oral lichen planus