SALL4 stemness agent expression in oral squamous cell cancer and its clinical significance

Cancer stem cells are currently considered an important cause of tumoral heterogeneity, treatment failure and recurrence. SALL4 is a marker of stemness in many types of human cancers. In the present study, the expression of SALL4 was analysed in oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCCs) using immunohistochemistry. This expression was linked to clinical and pathological characteristics of OSCC patients. Using tissue microarrays of OSCCs, a significant majority of these tumours were shown to positively express SALL4 protein in their cytoplasm and nuclei. This expression positively correlated with tumour grade and tumour location within the oral cavity. Furthermore, SALL4 expression was correlated with aberrant expression of beta-Catenin (AEB) in OSCCs. Morphologic evidence presents significant overlap between cells expressing the two proteins. Given the above, and in light of past evidence of SALL4 modulating the Wingless/Wnt/beta-Catenin pathway in other tumours, this study presents a possible role for the SALL4 protein in OSCC development and progression, and asserts the need for further studies into that role.

Automated summary

The study highlights that the expression of SALL4 in oral squamous cell carcinomas is associated with tumor grade, location, and aberrant expression of beta-Catenin. There is significant overlap in cell expression between SALL4 and beta-Catenin, suggesting a possible role of SALL4 in OSCC development and progression that warrants further investigation.