ONCOSTATIN-M EXPRESSION IN ORAL SQUAMOUS CELL CARCINOMA.

Background: Growth of malignant lesions is invariably associated with the presence of inflammatory cells at the primary site. It is hypothesized that tumor cells evade the growth inhibitory effects of cytokines present in the tumor microenvironment. Oncostatin -M (OSM) is an inflammatory cytokine produced by macrophages and T lymphocytes as well as tumor cells, it inhibits the proliferation and induces differentiation of a number of types of tumors. This study aimed to assess OSM expression in oral squamous cell carcinoma. Methods: Ex vivo study done on thirty (OSCC) cases obtained from paraffin blocks and ten normal epithelial tissues used as control. For each case immunohistochemical examination of OSM expression in different grades of OSCC was done. Results: OSM immunohistochemical expression showed statistical significant difference between different grades of OSCC and also between them and control (p<0.0001). Conclusion: This study found that OSM expression is inversely proportional with tumor differentiation suggesting that it may be used as biomarker in OSCC.