title: Evaluation of myofibroblasts in oral squamous cell carcinoma using H1 calponin: An immunohistochemical study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the most common malignancy of the oral mucosa. Stromal myofibroblasts play an important role in tumor invasion and metastasis, due to its ability to modify the extracellular matrix. The purpose of this study was to evaluate and compare the presence of myofibroblasts in normal mucosa, early invasive carcinoma and different grades of OSCC.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study included the archival tissues of 18 OSCC of well, moderate and poorly differentiated grades, three early invasive carcinomas and five normal mucosa. Myofibroblasts were identified by immunohistochemical detection of h1 calponin.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The percentage and intensity of h1 calponin were examined and positive immunostaining was observed in the myofibroblasts of all SCCs and early invasive carcinomas; however, these cells did not stain in the normal epithelium specimens. The presence of myofibroblasts was significantly higher in invasive pattern of OSCCs compared to normal mucosa cases (P < 0.070). A significant difference was not observed between the different grades of OSCC (P ≤ 0.812).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings show the presence of myofibroblasts in OSCC but not in normal mucosa, suggesting that the genetically altered epithelium (carcinomatous epithelium) may have an inductive effect on the adjacent stroma to produce myofibroblasts. Also transdifferentiation of myofibroblasts is induced somewhere in the invasive stage of SCC irrespective of the epithelial cell differentiation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral Pathology, Madha Dental College and Hospital, Chennai, India.
authors.forename: Kesavan
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ganesan
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral Pathology, Rajah Muthiah Dental College and Hospital, Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu, India.
authors.forename: R Madhavan
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Nirmal
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral Pathology, Rajah Muthiah Dental College and Hospital, Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu, India.
authors.forename: M Mohamed
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Nassar
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral Pathology, Rajah Muthiah Dental College and Hospital, Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu, India.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Veeravarmal
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral Pathology, Rajah Muthiah Dental College and Hospital, Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu, India.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Amsaveni
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral Pathology, Rajah Muthiah Dental College and Hospital, Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu, India.
authors.forename: Arul
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kumar
keywords: Bryne's invasive tumor front grading system; Oral squamous cell carcinoma; calponin; myofibroblast