Unveiling the Role of Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition Markers in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma: An Observational...

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) has evolved as a possible pathway in the pathophysiology of tumor formation and progression; however, the contribution of this phenomenon in human cancers, especially oral malignancy, lacks sufficient evidence. This study aimed to evaluate the expression of EMT markers E-cadherin and N-cadherin and their correlation with clinicopathological factors in Oral Cavity Squamous Cell Cancer (OSCC).

This prospective observational study was conducted on a hundred histologically proven cases of OSCC based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. In these cases, the expression level of Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition markers (E-cadherin, N-cadherin) was evaluated using Immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining. Expression of E-cadherin and N-cadherin was analyzed and correlated with clinical and histopathological factors using appropriate statistical methods.

The mean age of the patients was 47.96 ± 11.15 years (range: 24-70 years) with male predominance (92%). E-cadherin and N-cadherin expression were observed in 18 (18%) and 58 (58%) cases, respectively. Reduced expression of E-cadherin was observed in 82% of cases, while N-cadherin positivity was seen in 58% of tumors. N-cadherin expression showed a statistically significant association with clinical T stage (p = 0.001), clinical N stage (p = 0.041), tumor size (p = 0.016), depth of invasion (p = 0.001), pathological T stage (p = 0.005), and AJCC stage (p = 0.017). No significant association was observed between E-cadherin expression and clinicopathological parameters.

This study demonstrated frequent loss of E-cadherin and increased N-cadherin expression in oral squamous cell carcinoma. N-cadherin positivity showed significant association with indicators of tumor aggressiveness such as higher T stage, nodal involvement, tumor size, depth of invasion, and AJCC stage, suggesting a possible role of cadherin switching in OSCC progression.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13193-026-02587-7.