Assessment of role of mast cells in oral squamous cell carcinoma

Background: Mat cells play a crucial role in homeostasis and inflammation. Recently mast cells have been associated with numerous malignancies like oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC).Aims and Objectives: To compare mast cell density in normal mucosa and squamous cell carcinoma and to assess the role of mast cells in oral squamous cell carcinoma.Materials and Methods: Our retrospective study included 40 specimens, 10 well differentiated OSCC, 10 moderately differentiated OSCC, 10 poorly differentiated OSCC and 10 controls. Mast cell density was determined by toluidine blue staining. Statistical analysis was carried out using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) 17.0 version (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA).Results: When compared with controls, mast cells count was a higher in OSCC groups which was a statistically significant (P < 0.001). Conclusion: Mast cells have a significant role in OSCC