Aya A. Hamzawy, Omneya M. Wahba And Iman S. ElShamy,

ABSTRACT
Background: Oral Cancer Represents 3% Of All Body Lesion With High Mortality Rate And Poor Prognosis. Lymph Node (LN) Metastasis Is One Of The Most Important Prognostic Factors Related To Survival Of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SCC). Overexpression Of Metastasis-associated Protein 1 (MTA1) Has Been Demonstrated In A Variety Of Human Cancers And Significantly Associated With The Tumor Size, Lymph Node Metastasis, Clinical Stage, Tumor Invasion, And Prognosis Of These Cancers; However, Its Role In Determining Lymph Node Metastases In Oral SCC Remains Unclear. OBJECTIVES: Detect And Compare The Expression Patterns Of MTA1 Immunohistochemically In Metastasizing And Non-metastasizing Oral SCC. MATERIALS AND METHODS: MTA1 Expression Was Detected Immunohistochemically In 40 Oral SCC Specimens And The Correlation With LN Metastasis Was Evaluated. RESULTS: Upregulation Of MTA1 Nuclear Expression Had A Significant Correlation With LN Metastasis But Not With The Histologic Grade Of The Tumor. CONCLUSIONS: The Present Study Suggests That Increased MTA1 Epithelial Cell-expression At The Invasive Front Reflects Its Potential Role During Invasion And Metastasis. Whereas, Nuclear Expression Of MTA1 Can Be Used A Predictor Of SCC Aggressiveness.