YAP1 and p53 may be biomarkers to predict malignant transformation in oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMDs)

ABSTRACT Objective Oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMDs) are defined as clinical conditions that carry the risk of cancer development in the oral cavity. Regardless of their cancerous nature, the mechanism of malignant transformation is unknown and there are no indicators to predict the risk of malignant transformation. In order to manage OPMDs appropriately, indicators that are useful for predicting their prognosis are required. The purpose of this study was to examine the expression of YAP1, p53, and Ki‐67 in OPMDs and explore their potential as biomarkers to predict the risk of malignant transformation. Methods Immunohistochemical staining for YAP1, p53, and Ki‐67 was performed in 70 cases with a confirmed diagnosis of OPMDs. The staining status was evaluated by multiplying the positive cell occupancy score by the staining intensity score. We statistically investigated the association between malignant transformation of OPMDs and clinicopathologic features and staining grade. Results No significant differences were observed between malignant transformation and clinicopathological features of OPMDs. However, YAP1 ( p = 0.003) and p53 ( p = 0.013) were expressed higher in malignant transformation cases than in non‐malignant transformation cases. Moreover, Ki‐67 showed a tendency to be highly expressed in malignant transformation cases ( p = 0.161). Conclusions The cancer‐related factors YAP1 and p53 were found to be potentially upregulated in cases of malignant transformation of OPMDs. Therefore, YAP1 and p53 may be biomarkers to predict malignant transformation of OPMDs, and patients with OPMDs with high expression of YAP1 and p53 are at high risk of malignant transformation and require careful follow‐up.