Comparative Evaluation Of Pd-L1 And Zeb-1 In Oral Epithelial Dysplasia And Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Abstract

INTRODUCTION- Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) remains a major global health issue, especially in regions with high tobacco and areca nut use. Due to the lack of reliable biomarkers, diagnosis often occurs at advanced stages, limiting survival outcomes. This study evaluates the diagnostic significance of Programmed cell death ligand (PDL-1) and Zinc finger E box (ZEB-1) expression in oral epithelial dysplasia (OED) and oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), in comparison to normal oral mucosa (NOM).

AIM : To Quantify and compare IHC expression of Programmed cell death ligand I ( PDL-I) and “Zinc finger E box” ( ZEB-I) on Normal Oral Mucsoa , OED and Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) .

OBJECTIVES

1.To quantify IHC expression of PDL-I and ZEB-1 in normal oral mucosa obtained from healthy volunteers.(Group-I)

2.To quantify IHC expression of PDL-I and ZEB-I in oral epithelial dysplasia(Group II)

3.To quantify IHC expression of PDL-I and ZEB-I in OSCC (Group-III).

4.To compare  the finding within and between the groups.

MATERIALS AND METHODOLOGY- This retrospective case-control study analyzed 60 paraffin-embedded tissue samples—20 each from healthy normal oral mucosa (NOM), oral epithelial dysplasia (OED), and oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Immunohistochemical staining was performed using rabbit monoclonal antibodies for PD-L1 and ZEB-1. Expression levels were quantified via labeling index and histoscore, and statistical differences were assessed using the Kruskal–Wallis and Mann–Whitney tests.

RESULTS: OSCC samples exhibited significantly higher expression of PD-L1 and ZEB-1 compared to OED and NOM. Their elevated levels in OSCC highlight their potential as diagnostic biomarkers, with PD-L1 linked to immune checkpoint modulation and ZEB-1 indicating enhanced tumor invasiveness and metastatic behavior.

CONCLUSION: While PD-L1 and ZEB-1 are overexpressed in malignant tissues and show promise as diagnostic markers for OED and OSCC, their use should be complemented with additional biomarkers to enhance diagnostic accuracy and reliability.