West Asia Organization for Cancer Prevention (WAOCP), APOCP's West Asia Chapter. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 1513-7368 19 9 2018 09 01 HLA-G Expression is Associated with an Unfavorable Prognosis of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma 2527 2533 66555 10.22034/APJCP.2018.19.9.2527 EN Reza Imani Student Research Committee, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran. Maryam Seyedmajidi Dental Materials Research Center, Institue of Health, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran. Nafiseh Ghasemi Student Research Committee, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran. Dariush Moslemi Department of Oncology, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran. Shahryar Shafaee Department of Pathology, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran. Ali Bijani Non-Communicable Pediatrics Diseases Research Center, Health Research Institue, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran. Journal Article 2017 12 30 Background: HLA-G, a major histocompatibility complex of non-classical class Ib, plays a key role in the<br />development of the primary tumors to metastatic stages. The aim of this study was to investigate HLA-G expression in oral<br />squamous cell carcinomas and its relationship with clinicopathological factors. Methods: After immunohistochemical<br />staining for HLA-G with 63 formalin fixed and paraffin embedded blocks (33 oral squamous cell carcinoma and 30 normal<br />oral mucosa samples), staining intensity, percentage of stained cells and final immunoreactivity score were evaluated,<br />along with other variables. Results: Staining intensity, percentage of stained cells and final immunoreactivity scores in<br />oral squamous cell carcinomas were higher than those in normal oral mucosa (all P=0.001). The staining intensity in<br />the parenchyma of squamous cell carcinoma cells was significantly associated with the clinical tumor stage (P=0.022)<br />and the group with lymphatic metastasis exhibited a higher staining percentage (P=0.026). Staining intensity and<br />immunoreactivity score (IRS) exhibited a significant but inverse correlation with survival rate (P=0.004 and P=0.018,<br />respectively) and a significant direct relationship with clinical stage (P=0.001 and P=0.001). Conclusion: The results<br />supported a role of HLA-G in development of oral squamous cell carcinomas and metastasis to lymph nodes. It might<br />be useful in molecular-targeted therapy. https://journal.waocp.org/article_66555_73a3c71fc0828605f6f143d24cf96d28.pdf