Relationship between tumor thickness and GATA3 immunoexpression in lip and tongue squamous cell carcinomas

Abstract

Abstract Objectives Our aim was to evaluate tumor thickness in cases of oral squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and to correlate it with histological grade of malignancy and GATA3 immunoreactivity. Materials and Methods Sixty specimens (30 lower lip SCCs [LLSCCs] and 30 oral tongue SCCs [OTSCCs]) were scanned and digitized for the subsequent measurement of tumor thickness, histopathological examination, and quantitative analysis of GATA3 in the parenchyma and stroma of the tumors. Results Tumor thickness was lower in LLSCC cases compared to OTSCCs (p: 0.000). Immunohistochemical analysis of GATA3 in parenchyma, stroma and both compartments showed higher immunoreactivity in LLSCCs compared to OTSCCs (p: 0.000). We observed a negative correlation between tumor thickness and GATA3 expression in parenchyma (p: 0.014), stroma (p: 0.032), and both compartments (parenchyma and stroma) (p: 0.012). Conclusions Our results revealed the presence of GATA3 in all cases both in the parenchyma and in the stroma. Higher expression was more related to LLSCCs, which are known to be less aggressive tumors than OTSCCs. A greater tumor thickness was found in OTSCCs, which was correlated with lower expression of GATA3, suggesting that this protein is involved in the inhibition of proliferative, migratory, and invasive capacity. Clinical relevance: These findings can provide a basis for the identification of new therapeutic targets for OSCC, reinforcing the use of GATA3 as a biomarker in the neoplasms studied.