GLUT-1 and Carbonic Anhydrase IX Immunoexpression in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Abstract Background: Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the most prevalent malignancy and represents more than 91.5% of all oral malignancies. glucose transporter-1 (GLUT-1), a glucose transporter, increases the intake of glucose for use in aerobic glycolysis for quick cell division. Another protein that helps tumor cells survive is carbonic anhydrase IX (CAIX). Objectives: The aims of this study were to evaluate the expression of GLUT-1 and CAIX in OSCC patients and determine how these proteins’ expression correlated with histopathological grading and clinical staging. Materials and Methods: 24 specimens of OSCC were carefully chosen during the period of 2014–2017. Histological grade and TNM (T: tumor, N: extent of spread to the lymph node, M: presence of metastasis) clinical staging were done. The immunohistochemistry procedure was completed by the ordinary procedure for paraffin-embedded tissue blocks. Results: The clinical stage of OSCC was observed to significantly correlate with the expression of GLUT-1 and CAIX ( P = 0.043 and P = 0.007, respectively), whereas an insignificant correlation of these proteins with histopathological grade was observed. Stage IV patients have higher GLUT-1 expression. This expression was mainly observed in the membrane and cytoplasm of tumor cells. Regarding CAIX, the majority of tumor cells have combined nucleus and cytoplasmic staining. Conclusion: Positive expression of GLUT-1 and CAIX relates significantly to pTNM staging and insignificantly to histological grade of OSCC. As a result, the expression of GLUT-1 may be used as a biomarker for those who have OSCC.