Evaluation of Mast Cells in Oral Potentially Malignant Disorders and Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Abstract

Background. Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMDs) are epithelial-derived pathologies which share inflammation as a common initial pathogenic-inducing state. Mast cell is a key immune modulating cell which is primarily involved in initiation and propagation of inflammation. The role of mast cell in OPMDs and OSCC has been an established fact; however, its definitive pathogenic correlation is still under study. The objective of the study was to evaluate the number of mast cell in OPMDs and OSCC using special stain correlating its probable role as a promoter or retarder of OSCC. Materials and Methods. Forty-five archival histopathologically confirmed cases each of OPMD and OSCC were studied for mast cells using toluidine blue and Alcian blue-safranin stain and compared with 10 normal oral mucosal tissues. Comparisons between the mast cells count was also performed between the two special stains. Results. Among 100 cases, 67% were males and 33% were females. The mean age was 41.68 ± 13.39; 55.06 ± 12.55; and 18.4 ± 2.54 years for OPMDs, OSCC, and normal, respectively. A statistically significant increase in mast cells among OPMDs (9.88 ± 7.9) and OSCC (6.711 ± 3.94) was observed compared to normal oral mucosa. The mast cell count reduced among OSCC in comparison to OPMDs which was significant as well. The mean mast cell count for Alcian blue-safranin stain was higher than toluidine blue stain. Conclusion. There is a decrease in mean mast cell count from OPMDs to OSCC which is suggestive of protective role of mast cell. Proper quantification of mast cells using specific stains can guide to define prognosis in oral potentially malignant disorders and oral cancer.

Combined impacts of histamine receptor H1 gene polymorphisms and an environmental carcinogen on the susceptibility to and progression of oral squamous cell carcinoma

“…Histamine and its receptors play critical roles in several cancer-associated processes in tumor microenvironment, where mast cells (MCs) is a major source of histamine. Previous reports indicated that numbers of MCs are higher among OPMDs and OSCC compared to normal oral mucosa [ 39 ]. The MCs mainly located at the lamina propria surrounding the tumor invasive front of OSCC.…”

The Immune Cells in the Development of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

“…Mast cells were also increased in leukoplakia, lichen planus and actinic cheilitis [47,[53][54][55][56][57][58]. Mechanisms by which MCs might contribute to malignant progression are still not well understood [52,59]. Piecemeal degranulation is an unconventional secretory pathway char-acterized by vesicular transport of small packets of selected materials from the cytoplasmic secretory granules to the cell surface and might represent one of the main mechanisms by which MCs contribute to cancer progression.…”

“…Piecemeal degranulation is an unconventional secretory pathway char-acterized by vesicular transport of small packets of selected materials from the cytoplasmic secretory granules to the cell surface and might represent one of the main mechanisms by which MCs contribute to cancer progression. These granules may be enriched of cytokines, proteases, arachidonic acid derivates and growth factors, representing a heterogeneous phenotypic expression of MCs [59][60][61][62]. A systematic review on this topic showed that the highest number of MCs was found in OPMD while their presence declined in OSCC.…”

“…A systematic review on this topic showed that the highest number of MCs was found in OPMD while their presence declined in OSCC. Indeed, it appears that MCs are abundant in an inflammatory tumor microenvironment although it is not clear whether these cells exert an anti-or pro-tumor activity [59]. Several studies found an increase of MCs' density while moving from normal mucosa to dysplasia to OSCC, which positively correlated to microvessel density (CD34+/CD31+).…”

Is CCL2 an Important Mediator of Mast Cell–Tumor Cell Interactions in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma?

“…It has been shown that more blood vessels and MCs are found in the environment of OSCC compared to healthy oral mucosa, supporting the hypothesis that MCs have a tumor-promoting effect in OSCC by inducing angiogenesis [ 10 ]. In contrast, MC density has recently been shown to decrease from oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMD) to OSCC [ 11 ], and increased vascularity in OSCC appears to be inversely related to MC density [ 12 , 13 ]. These findings suggest a protective role of MCs in OSCC.…”