Overexpression of heat shock protein 27 (HSP-27) is associated with bad prognosis in oral squamous cell carcinoma

Background. Heat shock protein 27 (HSP-27) is a member of the small-molecular-weight HSP family, the expression of which is increased when cells are exposed to elevated temperatures or any other kinds of stress; it seems that the cellular protective properties this protein demonstrates might also help cancer cells stay immortal. Family members of HSPs are either expressed continuously or controlled inductively, and are present in different subcellular structures. Objectives. The aim of this study was to investigate the prognostic value of HSP-27 expression in the histological grades of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Material and methods. In the present study, HSP-27 expression was compared immunohistochemically among 30 cases with OSCC (15 men and 15 women), ranging between 22 and 74 years of age (mean age: 48 years). The cases were divided into 3 groups (n = 10) according to the histological grade. Results. While all grades expressed HSP-27 in the cancerous epithelial cells, the intensity of expression rose gradually from grade 1 to grade 3 tumors (grade 1 < grade 2 < grade 3). The statistical analysis indicated significant differences between the 3 groups (p = 0.000). Conclusions. This study has found that HSP-27 may be used as a marker for the histological grades of OSCC and that its expression may be an indicator of the biological behavior of the tumor.