Evaluation of Fascin expression in oral erosive lichen planus and its relationship with potential of malignant transformation

Background. Fascin is a protein that is increased in many epithelial cancers, and this increased expression is related to the more aggressive behavior and metastasis of many of these cancers. Considering the relatively high prevalence of oral lichen planus (OLP) and the inconsistencies regarding its malignant transformation potential, this study aimed to investigate the expression level of fascin in OLP and oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Methods. In this experimental study, 27 samples of erosive OLP and 30 samples of OSCC were immunohistochemically stained with fascin. The extent of fascin expression (epithelial cells with cytoplasmic immunoreactivity) in OLP was categorized into 4 scores based on the extent of epithelial staining. SCC specimens were scored according to the intensity and percentage of staining, and the sum of these two numbers was finally considered the total score, which ranged from 0 to 7. Fascin expression in two groups was compared using the Kruskal-Wallis test. Results. About half of the lichen planus samples (48.15%) received a score of 3. Most of the SCC samples received a score of 5 or 6. The comparison of the expression of fascin between the two groups demonstrated a statistically significant difference (P<0.001). Conclusion. The increased expression of fascin in lichen planus and SCC may indicate the role of fascin in carcinogenesis. Practical Implications. Overexpression of fascin in lichen planus and SCC may be a diagnostic marker for malignant transformation and a prognostic marker, respectively.