Comparison of E- cadherin and CD44 Marker Expression in Oral Lichen Planus, Oral Leukoplakia, and Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

The role of E-cadherin and CD44 has been proven in the development and progression of cancerous and precancerous lesions. It seems that these two markers have a high ability to evaluate the premalignancy of lichen planus lesions and oral leukoplakia. This study aimed to investigate and compare the expression of CD44 and E-cadherin markers in oral leukoplakia, lichen planus, and oral squamous cell carcinoma (SCC).

This analytical-descriptive study was conducted on 60 blocks of lichen planus, leukoplakia, and squamous cell carcinoma. The blocks were stained by CD44 and E-cadherin antibodies. The obtained data were analyzed in SPSS software (version 22), and a P-value of 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Only 30% of the SCC samples expressed the CD44 marker, while 40% and 50% of leukoplakia and lichen planus samples expressed the CD44 marker, respectively. The expression of the E-cadherin marker in SCC samples was 40% in the range of staining, while it was 50% and 60% in leukoplakia and lichen planus, respectively. There was not a significant difference between the staining intensity of CD44 and E-cadherin (P<0.16). However, in SCC, 70% of the cases showed mild to moderate expression intensity that was statistically significant, compared to lichen planus and leukoplakia (P<0.004).

It seems that the severity of CD44 and E-cadherin incidence can indicate the changes in dysplasia and premalignancy of oral lichen planus and leukoplakia, compared to oral carcinomas.