Twist and E-cadherin deregulation might predict poor prognosis in lower lip squamous cell carcinoma

Objective. The aim of this study was to evaluate the expression of Twist and E-cadherin in lower lip squamous cell carcinoma (LLSCC) and their association with clinicopathologic parameters. Study Design. Fifty-nine cases of LLSCC were analyzed by applying immunohistochemistry techniques in a semiquantitative manner. The systems proposed by Bryne et al., Brandwein-Gensler et al., and Almangush et al. were applied for analysis of the histopathologic malignancy grading system. Results. Higher E-cadherin expression (general and membrane) was observed in cases presenting with disease-free survival after 5 years of follow-up (P < .05). Higher Twist expression was observed in lesions classified as being in advanced stages, displaying recurrence, and having a high degree of malignancy. A significant negative correlation was detected between cytoplasmic Twist expression and membrane E-cadherin expression (P = .028). A statistically significant relationship was detected between high total Twist expression in tumors classified as high risk by Brandwein-Gensler et al., and no significant difference was observed among total, membrane, and cytoplasmic E-cadherin expressions in LLSCC cases and the 3 applied grading systems (P > .05). Conclusions. The results of the present study suggest the potential involvement of Twist and E-cadherin in the modulation of events related to worse prognoses in LLSCC cases.