Expression of P53 in Odontogenic Keratocyst and Unicystic Ameloblastoma

Abstract

Background & Aim: Odontogenic cysts and tumors are the most important lesions in the oral cavity. Odontogenic cysts are common lesions in dental practice and are more common than neoplastic lesions, but some of them are characterized by aggressive behavior and high recurrence, such as odontogenic keratocyst (OKC). Therefore, the aim of the research is to investigate the expression of p53 in odontogenic keratocyst (OKC) and Unicystic Ameloblastoma (UA) as a neoplastic cystic lesion and comparing them with each other.

Materials and Methods: The sample consisted of (30) cases divided into: 15 blocks of Odontogenic keratocyst and 15 blocks of Unicystic Ameloblastoma. The staining profile of P53 in The OKC and UA glands were examined immunohistochemically.

Results: Positive expression of P53 was observed in 80% of cases in OKC and 26% of cases in UA with statistically significant differences (P = 0.004). It was also found that the positive expression was concentrated in the basal and suprabasal cells in each of the OKC and the UA, the labelling index in the odontogenic keratocyst (median = 35.00) higher than the labelling index in the Unicystic Ameloblastoma (median = 7.50) with statistically significant differences (P = 0.004).

Conclusion: The increased expression of p53 protein in the lining epithelium of The OKC confirms the aggressive behavior of the OKC and its higher tendency to recur even more than the Unicystic Ameloblastoma, and therefore it tends to behave like odontogenic tumors, and therefore this cyst must be carefully re-evaluated through more study expressions for the tumor markers to confirm its biological behavior and to determine its prognosis more accurately.