The Diagnostic and Prognostic Utility of Heat Shock Protein 27 as a Biomarker for Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Objective Despite multiple studies on the involvement of heat shock protein 27 (HSP27) in cancer progression in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), there is a lack of overall consensus on its expression trends in this type of cancer. In this study, we examined the differential expression of HSP27 in tissue samples of oral cancer and the normal oral mucosa. Additionally, we correlated HSP27 expression with crucial clinicopathological parameters, including clinical staging and histopathological grading. Our findings suggest that HSP27 is a potential biomarker that can aid in the diagnosis and prognosis of patients suffering from oral cancer. Study design Immunohistochemistry was performed to detect HSP27 in both normal oral mucosa and OSCC from a variety of clinical stages and histopathological grades. Samples then underwent imaging followed by computer-assisted image analysis to objectively quantify the data. Results The HSP27 immunohistochemical detection coupled with computer-assisted image analysis documented a significant increase in HSP27 expression in OSCC tissue samples compared to normal oral mucosa tissue samples. Its expression analysis also showed correlations with the nodal status, clinical stage, and histopathological grade. Conclusion This study examined HSP27 expression patterns in oral cancer tissue samples and found HSP27 to be upregulated in OSCC compared to the normal oral mucosa. Additionally, HSP27 expression significantly correlated with the histopathological grade, nodal status, and the overall clinical stage. This study paves the way for the potential use of HSP27 as a supplementary diagnostic and prognostic tool in evaluating and monitoring disease progression in oral cancer patients.