ΔNp63α as early indicator of malignancy in surgical margins of an oral squamous cell carcinoma

Abnormalities in ΔNp63 expression have been regarded as early indicators of carcinogenesis of squamous origin, including oral carcinomas. In our hypothesis, the alfa isoform of ΔNp63 might represent an early marker for identifying neoplastic tissues left behind after surgical ablation of an oral carcinoma. To demonstrate this hypothesis, we are prospectively screening ΔNp63alfa overexpression in surgical margins. In one of our analysis we found a correlation between ΔNp63alfa overexpression and the presence of tumoral cells subsequently confirmed by histology. This observation supports our hypothesis while waiting for the main study to be completed.