Does P16 protein expression affect treatment prognosis in oral squamous cell carcinoma - A comparative study

Introduction: P16 is an independent and reliable surrogate for the detection of human papillomavirus (HPV) in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). The aim of this study was to assess the P16 expression as a marker for HPV infection in OSCC and its impact on the treatment outcome. Methods and Materials: A cross-sectional study was conducted on patients with a definite diagnosis of OSCC. Patients were assigned into two groups with and without recurrence or metastasis. Tumour resection was performed in the same manner for all patients. P16 expression was evaluated by immunohistochemical staining. Independent t-test and Chi-square tests were used to find significant differences in age, gender, stage of the disease, tumour size, lymph node involvement, and P16 expression between the two groups. Results: Of 50 patients, 37 did not show any recurrence or metastasis (group 1), while 13 had a relapse (group 2). There was no significant difference for age, gender distribution, stage of the disease, or lymph node involvement between the two groups (P > 0.05). A significant difference in tumour size was noted between the two groups (P = 0.001). The mean expression of P16 was 38.92 ± 24.36 in group 1 and 51.54 ± 33.63 in group 2. No significant difference was found between the two groups for the mean expression of P16 (P = 0.23). Discussion: A review of the recent literature revealed that the HPV role in OSCC treatment is controversial. According to the results of this study, there was no significant difference in terms of P16 expression between OSCC patients with and without recurrence or metastasis.