Expression of USP22 and the chromosomal passenger complex is an indicator of malignant progression in oral squamous cell carcinoma

Oral cancer is a common cancer of the head and neck. Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) represents almost 90% of the total cases of head and neck cancer. Ubiquitin-specific protease 22 (USP22) is a deubiquitinating hydrolase, and it is highly expressed in various types of cancer, which also typically have a poor prognosis. Aurora-B and Survivin, which belong to the chromosomal passenger complex, are also highly expressed in a number of types of cancer. In the present study, USP22 expression and its associations with Aurora-B and Survivin, and the clinicopathological features in OSCC were explored. USP22 is highly expressed in OSCC. Overexpression of USP22 is associated with lymph node metastasis and histological grade (P