20403

p16 Expression in Odontogenic Cysts

Goteri Gaia نويسنده , Pernotti Vittoria نويسنده , Piccirilli Marcello نويسنده , Carinci Francesco نويسنده , Artese Luciano نويسنده , lezzi Giovanna نويسنده , Piattelli Adriano نويسنده , Rubini Corrado نويسنده

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Background: p16 protein acts as a tumor suppressor and its functional loss seems to be one of the most frequent genetic alterations in human tumors. Because there is a lack of information, the expression of p 16 is examined in different odontogenic cysts to clarify the possible role of this factor to determine the biological and clinical behavior of these lesions. Methods: Eighteen radicular cysts (RC), 9 follicular cysts (FC), and 15 keratocystic odontogenic tumors (KeOT) were immunohistochemically evaluated. Chi-square test was used to compare data. Results: The cysts showed a different pattern of p16 expression according to the histologic type. All RCs or FCs were strongly or moderately positive for p16, whereas all KCOT cases exhibited loss of p16 expression or a low immunoreactivity. Conclusions: KCOT is characterized by an aggressive potential of growth and recurrences after removal. Here, a dysregulation of the p16 pathway in KCOT was demonstrated. This lack of expression of positivity for p 16 in KCOT could help explain the differences in the clinical and pathological behavior of KCOT and could be related to the increased aggressive behavior, invasiveness and high frequency of recurrences found in KCOT.

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