Comparative Evaluation of Glucose Transporter 1 Expression in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma With and Without Cervical Lymph Node Metastasis Publisher



S Khalesi SAEEDEH ; L Maleki LALEH ; P Mirzaee PARNIAN
Source: Medical Journal of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences Published:2025

Abstract

Background. In addition to the local resection of the primary tumor, metastatic oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) patients require neck lymph node resection. In these patients, it is quite difficult to accurately determine whether they have metastases or not, which may lead to excessive medical treatment or insufficient treatment. Therefore, finding molecular markers associated with metastasis with high accuracy and sensitivity is a top priority in OSCC research. Therefore, this study aimed to compare the level of glucose transporter 1 (GLUT1) expression in OSCC with and without metastasis to cervical lymph nodes. Methods. In this descriptive-analytical cross-sectional study, 20 OSCC samples without cervical lymph node metastasis and 20 OSCC samples with cervical lymph node metastasis from the cases registered in the archives of the Pathology Department of Ayatollah Kashani Hospital, Isfahan, which were prepared by excisional biopsies, were selected for investigation. The samples were stained using the immunohistochemistry method for GLUT1 and then simultaneously examined by two oral pathologists. All data were analyzed by Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests, and P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results. The statistical analysis of the obtained data demonstrated that the mean expression of GLUT1 in the studied OSCC tissues had no statistical difference in terms of age, gender, lesion location, disease stage, or histopathological grade (P < 0.05). The results revealed that although the level of GLUT1 expression in non-metastatic OSCC was higher than that in OSCC with metastasis to cervical lymph nodes, this difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.841). Conclusion. GLUT1 expression is probably not a predictor of cervical lymph node involvement in OSCC. Practical Implications. The expression level of GLUT1 is not related to the prognosis of patients with OSCC. © 2025 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.