Document Type : Original Article(s)
Authors
- Azadeh Andisheh Tadbir 1
- Mohmmad Javad Fattahi 2
- Bijan Khademi 3
- Sara Pourshahidi 4
- Hooman Ebrahimi 4
- Yasaman Sardari 1
- Zahra Fattah 5
1 Department of Oral Pathology, School of Dentistry, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
2 Shiraz Institute for Cancer Research, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
3 Department of Otolaryngology, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
4 Department of Oral Medicine, School of Dentistry, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences,Shiraz, Iran
5 School of Dentistry, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
Abstract
Introduction: Galectin-3, a member of the family of β-galactoside-binding animal lectins, has been implicated in tumor invasion and metastasis.Materials and Methods: Using an ELISAkit, we assessed the circulating levels of galectin-3 in sera from 40 oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) patients and from 43 healthy controls.Results: Serum galectin-3 levels in OSCC patients were significantly higher (5.1±2.5 ng/ml) when compared with healthy controls (2.6±3.07 ng/ml, P<0.0005). There was no apparent correlation between serum galectin-3 concentration and clinico-pathological features such as stage, tumor size, nodal status, distant metastasis and histological grade.Conclusion: This result suggests that, in addition to other tests, measurement of serum galectin-3 concentrations can be utilized as an adjuvant test for establishing a diagnosis of OSCC.
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