A prospective study of circulating estrogen in oral leukoplakia and oral squamous cell carcinoma.

Background: Reports suggested that hormone replacement therapy decreased the incidence of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the oral cavity.

Aim: The aim of this study was to analyze and quantify the serum 17β-estradiol (E2) level by chemiluminescence immunoassay in four groups, Group I (control group with no habit of tobacco and areca), Group II (control group with a habit of tobacco and areca), Group III (potentially malignant disorder-leukoplakia), and Group IV (oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC)). It was the first study to evaluate E2 in four study groups with and without the habit of tobacco.

Method: The serum analysis was carried out in Cobas e411 analyzer by electrochemiluminescence immunoassay analysis.

Results: As per the Kruskal--Wallis test, statistically significant rise in estradiol levels in Group IV as in comparison to Group III as compared with Groups II and I.

Conclusion: This study proved that irrespective of the gender bias, the female sex hormone, estradiol levels were significantly raised in OSCC patients. This study suggests that E2 may play a vital role in determining the patient prognosis in OSCC with tobacco habit. The confounding results of this preliminary study opened up new advents emphasizing the role of E2 in OSCC. The role of E2 in estrogen receptor regulation can also be a subject of study for targeted therapies in improving the patient's prognosis.