Vol. 3, Issue 4, Part A (2020)

Aim: The objective of the investigation was to assess the immunohistochemical expression of p16 protein in oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma.

Materials and Methods: The Department of Pathology conducted an observational cross-sectional descriptive study. The investigation encompassed 50 biopsies and histopathological specimens that were diagnosed as OPSCC in both genders and all age groups. Gross, microscopic, and immunohistochemical examinations of the specimen were conducted. Data entry and analysis were conducted using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS), version 21 (Chicago, IL). A P value of ˂ 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant.

Results: The patients' ages ranged from 20 to 80 years, with the highest number of cases occurring in the 41-50 age group (34%), followed by the 31-40 age group (22%), the 51-60 age group (16%), the 61-70 age group (14%), the 20-30 age group (10%), and the 71-80 age group (4%). A total of 76% of patients were male, while 24% were female. The OPSCC was most frequently observed in the gingiva and buccal mucosa (36%), with the tongue (28%), alveolus (24%), lip (6%), palate (4%), and tonsil (2%) following in that order. Smoking (18%), alcohol (12%), tobacco (4%) and gudakhoo (2%), which account for 18% of patients, were the most prevalent addictions, while 64% were not. The majority of patients (40%) had a grade 0 p16 immunohistochemistry grading, followed by a grade 1 (24%), a grade 4 (16%), and a grade 2 and 3 (10%). Diverse histopathological findings were observed in OPSCC. Haemorrhage was the most prevalent variety, accounting for 90% of cases. Necrosis made up 82% of cases, while keratin pearls and intercellular desmosomes accounted for 70% and 70% of cases, respectively. The p-value is 0.436, which was greater than 0.05, suggesting that there is no statistically significant association between p16 protein expression and histological grade.

Conclusion: In the present study, we determined that OPSCC is the most prevalent malignant tumour of the oral cavity that frequently presents in GBS and is more frequently observed in males than in females. Nevertheless, p16 positivity is indicative of a favourable prognosis and illustrates its correlation with HPV. Additional research is recommended to ascertain the relationship between OPSCC and p16.