Oral squamous cell carcinomas in age distinct population: a comparison of p53 immunoexpression.

Aims: The study aimed to assess the diffused expression of p53 protein in patients with OSCC and its association with age at diagnosis (using 50 years as a cut point). Study Design: Ten normal oral mucosa and sixty OSCC lesions from age-distinct patient populations were immunohistochemically analyzed for the expression of p53 protein. Results: In OSCC cases, 31 out of total 60 cases (51.67%) showed positive expression for p53 protein and it was more common in older study group (56.67%) than in younger study group (46.67%) but the difference was not statistically significant. Moreover, there was also no significant difference in the p53 indices (percentage of p53 positive cells) between the two study groups (P = 0.827). Conclusion: The alteration rates were found to be slightly higher in older patients although not statistically significant.