Study of histochemical and immunohistochemical profile in grading of squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity

Background and Aim: Head-and-neck cancers (HNCs) are significant causes of morbidity and mortality in both the developed and developing worlds. One of the most common types of HNC is oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). The rationale behind the present study is to analyze the effectiveness of nuclear proliferative markers in comparison to the various grades of OSCC. This study utilizes Anneroth's histopathological multifactorial grading system for squamous cell carcinoma and further tends to compare this histological grading with nuclear proliferative indices of p53 and argyrophilic nucleolar organizer region (AgNOR). The aim of this study was to establish and develop a correlation between the proliferative markers, AgNOR and p53, and the histologic grade of the tumor (Anneroth's grading). Materials and Methods: A total of 60 cases of oral squamous cell carcinoma were taken from October 2020 to September 2022. The histological grading was done according to Anneroth's grading, and a score was given. P53 expression was graded according to the percentage of cells showing p53-positive immunostaining, and scoring was done from 0 to 3. The AgNOR score was calculated by examining 100 nuclei and calculating the mean AgNOR score per nucleus. Results: A significant linear correlation was obtained between the histological grading of OSCC and the proliferative markers (p53 and AgNOR). Conclusion: The analysis of the NOR count provides invaluable assistance in determining tumor aggressiveness and cellular proliferation rates. They can prove to be efficient tools to procure information on the malignant potential of different premalignant lesions. Elevated p53 expression implies greater clinical severity, a higher histological grade, and a poor prognosis for oral squamous cell carcinoma. Hence, the proliferative markers can be used as adjuncts to the histological grading system of OSCC.