Serum levels of galectin-9 in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma

Aim: Understanding the process of tumor cell proliferation and metastasis will have a substantial influence on management of the aggressive oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC).The role of galectin-9 is well-known in several aspects of cancer progression, such as apoptosis, cell adhesion and immune system responses. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether the serum levels of galectin-9 play a significant role in the pathogenesis of OSCC. Method and material: This was a cross sectional study. The data were obtained from 60 patients with histological confirmed OSCC who had medical document in Khalili hospital, Shiraz, Iran, and 28 healthy donors as control group who refer to Blood Transfusion Center, Shiraz, Iran. The levels of galectin-9 were measured by Elisa sandwich assay, following the manufacturer’s protocol. Student t test was used to identify significant difference between two groups according to age, sex and serum levels of galectin-9.To evaluate association between location and grade of tumor lesions with the levels of galectin-9, one way ANOVA was used. Results: The mean levels of galectin-9 in patients with OSCC (6.42± 2.08) were less than control subjects (6.65 ± 2.05), while there is not any significant difference between them (P value=0.0564).we did not find any significant relation between stage, grade and location of tumor lesions with the serum levels of galectin-9. Conclusion: Serum levels of galectin-9 do not seem to play any significant role in the pathogenesis of oral squamous cell carcinoma.