الفهرس 
INTRODUCTIONOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
Oral cancer is a major health problem, causing high morbidity and
mortality rates. Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) accounts for 90-95% of all
oral malignancies. During the last decade, significant evidence has suggested that
inflammatory tumor microenvironment (TME) plays an important role in
tumorigenesis. The inflammatory cells and their signals are indispensable participants
in the neoplastic process, fostering proliferation, survival, and migration of cancer
cells. The macrophages are the most abundant and important stromal cells in the
TME, which orchestrate the inflammatory response. They control the cellular
proliferation and survival by stimulating the immune cells and by promoting
integrated processes of inflammation and tissue repair. Therefore, the tumor
associated macrophages (TAMs) may be of great prognostic significance in different
types of tumors.
Objectives: This study was conducted to assess the TAMs density in OSCC using
CD163 in metastasizing and non-metastasizing OSCC. Moreover, the correlation of TAM
density with the lymph node status and the different histopathological grades of
OSCC was assessed.
Material and methods: The density of TAM was calculated in 30 surgical specimens
taken from OSCC patients. Biopsies were taken from the primary tumor of 15 cases
with lymph node metastasis and 15 cases with no lymph node metastasis. Fifteen
normal mucosal tissues were taken from the safety margins of OSCCs and healthy
individuals indicated for alveoloplasty as a control group. Immunohistochemical
staining using the CD163 antibody was performed, using Labeled Strept-Avidin
Biotin complex method. Positive cells were counted using the Image J free software
package.
Results: CD163 was expressed in human OSCC and the TAMs count was
significantly correlated with lymph node metastasis and with the tumor
differentiation. Higher density was detected in metastatic tumors and in the poorly
differentiated OSCC than in the well and moderately differentiated cases.
Conclusion: CD163 positive TAMs could be a prognostic factor in OSCC cases as
TAM density was significantly correlated with the lymph node status and the grade of
differentiation of OSCC