Immunohistochemical expressions of matrix metalloproteinase-9 and vimentin in oral squamous cell carcinoma

Abstract EN

Background : squamous cell carcinoma is a malignant neoplasm of stratified squamous epithelium ; it occurs in different sites and has potential destructive growth and invasive with distant metastasis.

The aims of the study were to evaluate the expression of matrix metalloproteinase-9 and Vimentin immunohistochemistry and to correlate them with the clinic pathological parameters in oral squamous cell carcinoma.

Materials and methods: twenty prospective and eleven retrospective paraffin- embedded formalin- fixed blocks of oral squamous cell carcinoma were included in this study.

Haematoxylin & Eosin stain (H and E) and immunohistochemical staining was done by using monoclonal antibodies for anti-matrix metalloproteinase and anti- Vimentin.

Results: positive immunohistochemical staining for MMP-9 was seen in 100 % of collective cases while it was seen in 93.5 % for Vimentin.

Conclusions : there was no correlation found between the two markers.

MMP-9 expression was found in all cases with no correlation with clinic pathological parameters so it can be used as a diagnostic tumor marker rather than a prognostic marker.

Vimentin was expressed in most OSCC cases with significant correlation with tumor size and stage.

Vimentin can be used as a good prognostic tumor marker.