Abstract
Autopsy specimens from 10 patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma were investigated by applying the immunohistochemical technique. Five patients were male and 5 were female, ranging between 39 and 88 years old. The primary tumor sites were the buccal mucosa in four patients, the tongue in three, the maxilla in two, and the soft palate in one patient. One patient belonged in stage II, 2 in III, and 7 in IV. Five cases were treated by surgery and radiotherapy, 4 cases were treated with surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy, and one was treated with radiotherapy and chemotherapy. The duration of survival was between 7 months and 38 years after the initial treatment. Histologically, there were 4 well and moderately differentiated types, respectively, and 2 cases of a poorly differentiated type. Cellular and structural atypia were observed in 8 cases. Regarding the mode of cancer invasion, there were one case each of type 2 (less marked borderline) and type 3 (no distinct borderline) and 8 cases of type 4 (diffuse invasion) . The stromal reaction showed a weak lymphocytic infiltration in 6 cases, strong infiltration in one case, and nothing in 3 cases. Immunohistochemical staining for CEA and keratin was present in all cases, but considerable variation occurred in their detection. SCC was expressed by the tumor cells, except in one cases of a poorly differentiated carcinoma. These results indicate that the expression of SCC, CEA, and keratin is related to the differentiation of tumor cells.
