title: Increased nuclear β-catenin expression in oral potentially malignant lesions: A marker of epithelial dysplasia.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Deregulation of β-catenin is associated with malignant transformation; however, its relationship with potentially malignant and malignant oral processes is not fully understood. The aim of this study was to determine and compare the nuclear β-catenin expression in oral dysplasia and oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC).
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross sectional study. Immunodetection of β-catenin was performed on 72 samples, with the following distribution: 21 mild dysplasia, 12 moderate dysplasia, severe dysplasia 3, 36 OSCC including 19 well differentiated, 15 moderately differentiated and 2 poorly differentiated. Through microscopic observation the number of positive cells per 1000 epithelial cells was counted. For the statistical analysis, the Kruskal Wallis test was used.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Nuclear expression of β-catenin was observed in all samples with severe and moderate dysplasia, with a median of 267.5, in comparison to mild dysplasia whose median was 103.75. Only 10 samples (27.7%) with OSCC showed nuclear expression, with statistically significant differences between groups (p < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results are consistent with most of the reports which show increased presence of β-catenin in severe and moderate dysplasia compared to mild dysplasia; however the expression of nuclear β-catenin decreased after starting the invasive neoplastic process. This suggests a role for this protein in the progression of dysplasia and early malignant transformation to OSCC. Immunodetection of β-catenin could be a possible immune marker in the detection of oral dysplasia.
authors.affiliation: Av. Sergio Livingstone 943, Department of Pathology, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Chile, Independencia, Santiago, Chile, montserrat.reyes.r@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Montserrat
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Reyes
authors.forename: Gonzalo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rojas-Alcayaga
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Maturana
authors.forename: Juan-Pablo
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Aitken
authors.forename: Carolina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rojas
authors.forename: Ana-Verónica
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Ortega
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000378:metabolism; D002471:Cell Transformation, Neoplastic; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004848:Epithelium / Q000002:abnormalities / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009061:Mouth Mucosa / Q000002:abnormalities / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D051176:beta Catenin / Q000096:biosynthesis*
chemical_list: D051176:beta Catenin