Investigation of cancer-associated fibroblasts and p62 expression in oral cancer before and after chemotherapy

Purpose: The aim of this study is to investigate the expression of the autophagy protein p62 in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) cells before and after chemotherapy. We also detected cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) in these OSCC samples to explore the roles of p62 and CAFs in chemotherapy. Materials and methods: Immunohistochemistry was used to analyze the expression of p62 and alpha-SMA in 26 paired OSCC samples before and after chemotherapy. The relationships between clinicopathological features, clinical outcome and the expression of these proteins were analyzed. Results: Our results indicated an increased stromal a-SMA expression after chemotherapy in OSCC samples. High p62 expression of OSCC cells closely correlated with stromal a-SMA expression after chemotherapy. Furthermore, the post-chemotherapy p62 expression was associated with the prognosis for OSCC patients. Conclusion: These results suggest that chemotherapy may increase CAFs in OSCC. High cytoplasmic p62 expression may serve as a poor prognostic marker for OSCC patients. (C) 2017 European Association for Cranio-Maxillo-Facial Surgery. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.