Oral mucosa leukoplakia after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: clinic, histological and immunohistochemical study

• Grant number: 11/23052-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: April 01, 2012
• End date: November 30, 2012
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Medicine - Pathological Anatomy and Clinical Pathology
• Principal Investigator: Maria Letícia Cintra
• Grantee: Thayrine Turtera Dubugras
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Médicas (FCM). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Hematopoietic stem cell transplantations (HSCT) have increased over the past 30 years with significant improvement in success rate, but the development of secondary malignancies has been recognized as a very serious late complication post-HSCT. Oral leukoplakia (OL), considered a lesion with malignant potential, has been studied in order to find a biomarker that monitors its progression to malignancy. OL developing in long-term allogeneic HSCT recipients has been understudied. Considering the known risk of secondary malignancies in this specific patient population, the objective of this study is to describe the clinical, morphological, and immunohistochemical expression of p16, p53, COX-2, and Ki-67 in OL post-HSCT. This is a histopathological retrospective study of 16 patients submitted to HSCT, in the period between January 2009 and October 2011. The material stained by HE and immunohistochemical techniques will be evaluated qualitatively by three observers. Then, digital images of the immunomarked specimens will be obtained and the immune-labeled cells will be quantified through Imagelab® software. At the end of this study, we intend to draw a clinical, morphological, and molecular profile of oral leukoplakias post-HSCT in this sample. (AU)