Immunohistochemical expression of MUC1 in different grades of oral squamous cell carcinoma

Background: MUC1 mucin is a membrane-bound mucin encoded by the MUC1 gene. Alteration in glycosylation of mucins is associated with the development and progression of malignancy. Therefore, mucins are used as markers which are valuable to distinguish normal and diseased conditions. Although expression of MUC1 has been identified in a various neoplasms, only few studies have done to estimate MUC1 expression in oral carcinomas. Aims and Objectives: The aim of this study is to evaluate, compare, and correlate the MUC-1 immunoexpression and its significance in normal oral mucosa (NOM) and in different grades of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Materials and Methods: Our study included 30 histopathologically diagnosed tissue sections of different grades of OSCC, which were immunostained for MUC1 mucin expression and 10 cases of NOM as controls. The percentage of the positivity of cells and staining intensity was analyzed according to the immunoreactive scoring system and statistically analyzed by Pearson’s Chi-Square test. Membranous and cytoplasmic staining was considered as positive for MUC1 mucin immunoexpression. Results: There was statistically significant difference in the percentage of positivity of cells and staining intensity from NOM to OSCC and also in different grades of OSCC with a P < 0.001. Conclusion: The findings of our study suggest that MUC 1 plays an important role in pathogenesis and can be regarded as a valuable marker for OSCC