Quantitative Insights into Collagen in Oral Epithelial Dysplasia and Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma using Picrosirius Red Stain

Context: One of the predominant forms of cancer found in the oral cavity is squamous cell carcinoma.According to the records of the National Cancer Registry Programme, squamous cell carcinoma is the leading type of cancer affecting both men and women in India.Materials and methods: Collagen fibers stained with Picrosirius red-stained sections were carefully observed and analyzed under a polarizing microscope, and polarizing color patterns of collagen fibers were compared in epithelial dysplasia and oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC).The observations for the Picrosirius red-stained slides were tabulated, and the results were statistically analyzed using ANOVA variables.Results: One-way ANOVA F-test was used for comparing the significant difference among normal group, dysplasia, and OSCC group for red, green, and blue (RGB) color.The significant difference among the normal group, dysplasia group, and OSCC group for RGB colors, respectively, was found.It shows that no significant difference (p > 0.01) was present among the three groups for red color, while a significant difference was present among the three groups for green and blue colors at the 0.01 level of significance (p < 0.01). Conclusion:The study observed distinct changes in collagen fibers across the progressive stages of oral epithelial dysplasia (OED) and OSCC.The color variations in the collagen fibers indicate a transition from thicker to thinner fibers in the connective tissue stroma as the tumor progresses.Analyzing the color intensity of collagen fibers across various histological grades of OED and OSCC could provide valuable insights for targeting the stromal component in therapeutic strategies.Future research utilizing a greater number of samples is needed to further explore these findings.