Lymphangiogenesis and angiogenesis in oral cavity and lower lip squamous cell carcinoma

Tumors of the lip and oral cavity differ in various aspects; therefore a clarification of the distinctions among these sites may help to better understand the biologic behavior of neoplasms occurring in these locations.

Considering that angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis are two major elements that can influence various aspects of tumor biology, we aimed to compare these factors between squamous cell carcinoma of the lower lip and oral cavity.

A total of 84 primary squamous cell carcinomas including 45 oral and 39 lower lip tumors were selected and immunohistochemically stained with monoclonal antibody against D2-40 and CD105. Mean microvessel density was assessed in tumoral tissue, while lymphatic vessel density was calculated in both neoplastic tissue and invasion front. Data were statistically analyzed using t-test and p-values of <0.05 were considered significant.

We found a mean microvessel density±standard deviation of 31.94±18.9 in oral cavity and 27.54±20.8 in lower lip squamous cell carcinomas, with no significant difference (p=0.32). Mean lymphatic vessel density±standard deviation was 13.05±8.2 and 16.57±10.79 in of oral cavity and lower lip neoplastic tissue, respectively. The corresponding values were 9.94±5.59 and 12.50±7.8 in the invasive front. Significant differences were not observed in either of the lymphatic vessel density variables between the two sites.

According to our results, it seems that the search for additional factors other than those related to the vasculature should continue, to help clarify the differences in biologic behavior between lower lip and oral cavity squamous cell carcinomas.