Biomarker Potential of Vimentin in Oral Cancers

Oral carcinogenesis is a multistep process. As much as 5% to 85% of oral tumors can develop from potentially malignant disorders (PMD). Although the oral cavity is accessible for visual examination, the ability of current clinical or histological methods to predict the lesions that can progress to malignancy is limited. Thus, developing biological markers that will serve as an adjunct to histodiagnosis has become essential. Our previous studies comprehensively demonstrated that aberrant vimentin expression in oral premalignant lesions correlates to the degree of malignancy. Likewise, overwhelming research from various groups show a substantial contribution of vimentin in oral cancer progression. In this review, we have described studies on vimentin in oral cancers, to make a compelling case for vimentin as a prognostic biomarker.

Automated summary

Oral carcinogenesis is a multistep process, with a substantial proportion of oral tumors developing from potentially malignant disorders. Current clinical and histological methods have limited ability to predict malignancy progression, highlighting the need for developing new biological markers. Vimentin, as demonstrated by extensive research, plays a significant role in oral cancer progression and can serve as a prognostic biomarker.