Priscilla Suassuna Carneiro Lúcio

Myofibroblasts and their relationship with oral squamous cell carcinoma

UNLABELLED Myofibroblasts are hybrid-phenotype differentiated cells in between fibroblasts and smooth muscle cells. Due to their contractile features and ability to synthesize extracellular matrix components, cytokines, proteases, and proangiogenic factors, myofibroblasts have been implicated in the pathogenesis of fibrocontractive diseases and in the progression of many tumors, including oral squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). OBJECTIVE To perform a literature review on the origin of myofibroblasts, their main morpho-physiological and immunohistochemical aspects, and to discuss the correlations with oral SCC. METHOD A search was made on the PubMed database to select the main papers in the literature in English related to the subject, published between January 1991 and December 2011. CONCLUSION Myofibroblasts are an important component of the stroma of oral SCCs, although they are not present in all tumors. Abundant presence of myofibroblasts may be associated with local disease recurrence and decreased patient survival. However, given the relatively limited number of studies on the subject, further research is needed to clarify the molecular mechanisms by which myofibroblasts influence the biological behavior of oral SCC.

Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs): clinical-pathological parameters in squamous cell carcinomas of the lower lip

The objective of this study was to analyze the presence of tumor-associated macrophage (TAM) subpopulations M1 and M2 in squamous cell carcinoma of the lower lip (SCCLL) by immunohistochemitry, and to evaluate the possible role of these subtypes in the development of regional lymph node metastasis and their association with clinical and pathological parameters. Forty-two cases of SCCLL were divided into two groups (21 with and 21 without regional lymph node metastasis). The histopathological grade of malignancy was determined and the material was submitted to double staining with anti-CD68/anti-CD163 and anti-CD68/anti-HLA-DR monoclonal antibodies. The results were analyzed statistically using the Wilcoxon signed-rank and Spearman correlation tests. The M1 and M2 subpopulations were observed in all cases studied. No significant difference was observed between the quantities of M1 and M2 TAMs regarding tumor size (p > 0.05). A significantly larger number of M2 compared to M1 TAMs was observed in tumors without regional lymph node metastasis, tumors in early stages, and low-grade tumors (p < 0.05). No significant difference between the numbers of M1 and M2 TAMs was observed in tumors with regional lymph node metastasis, tumors in advanced stages, and high-grade tumors (p > 0.05). There was a positive weak correlation between M1 and M2 TAMs (r = 0.361; p = 0.019). The results suggest a more important role of M2 TAMs in early stages than advanced stages of lip carcinogenesis. The progression of SCCLL does not seem to be related to an imbalance of macrophage polarization in the microenvironment of these tumors.

Squamous odontogenic tumor: report of a case of unusual involvement

The squamous odontogenic tumor (SOT) is defined as a very rare benign neoplasm, locally infiltrative and can extend to neighboring structures. This study aimed to report a case of SOT unusual involvement. A female patient, 56-year-old, smoker showed mild swelling in the chin region in the portion between the left canine and right first premolar. Axial, coronal and sagittal images showed expansive hypodense lesion in the mandibular symphysis and parasymphysis. Partial removal of the lesion was performed, which led to the diagnosis of SOT. The patient presented no recurrence during 4 years and 2 months follow-up.