Expression of Cytokeratin 19 (CK19) and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) Genes in Peripheral Blood of Patients with Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma (OSCC)

Background: Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is one of the 10 most common malignant tumors. This study aimed to evaluate the relevance of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and cytokeratin 19 (CK19) genes as biomarkers for diagnosis of OSCC. Methods: In this study, 30 patients and 30 healthy individuals were selected. CK19 and VEGF were measured in peripheral blood using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique. T-test was performed to analyze the data. Findings: In patients with OSCC, CK19 and VEGF markers were positive in 17 and 23 patients out of 30. Conclusion: The expression of VEGF and CK19 is more among the patients with OSCC, compared to healthy people. In summary, the result of this study can be considered as a diagnostic screening test in the early stages of the disease.