ENDOGLIN (CD105): A marker of tumour vasculature for assessment of malignant potential of oral submucous fibrosis.

Background: Oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF) is a precancerous condition associated with the use of betel/areca nut in various forms. It is characterized by restricted mouth opening, tongue protrusion and cheek rigidity. Oral submucous fibrosis, is primarily prevalent among the people of the Indian subcontinent and it has been reported that about one third of the OSMF patients develop squamous cell carcinoma.Endoglin (CD-105) is a hypoxia induced protein and a potential marker for activated endothelial cells which signify tumorigenic neoangiogenesis.

Aim: To determine expression of CD105 and study relation of neoangiogenesis with the clinical staging and histopathological grading of oral submucous fibrosis.

Material and method: Immunohistochemical expression of CD105 was evaluated on forty nine (49) paraffin-embedded tissue sections of diagnosed cases of OSF and seven (7) control samples of healthy volunteers.

Results: There were 13 cases in Stage A, 11 cases in Stage B, 13 cases in Stage C, and 12 cases in Stage D. There were 4 cases in Grade 1 (Very early), 19 cases in Grade 2 (Early), 19 cases in Grade 3 (Moderately advance) and 7 cases in Grade 4 (Advance).

Conclusion: The present study was first immunohistochemical study to demonstrate MVD, MVP and MVAP with CD105 expression in OSMF cases. However, well-designed studies with larger sample size is required to validate CD105 as a reliable biomarker for malignant transformation in future research.