Role of Twist and Podoplanin in Partial Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Abstract The aim of this study was to perform a comparative analysis of podoplanin (PDPN) and Twist immunoexpressions in lower lip and oral tongue squamous cell carcinomas (LLSCC and OTSCC, respectively). PDPN and Twist immunoexpressions were semi-quantitatively evaluated by analyzing the invasion front, the compressive areas, the large islands and nests and dissociated cells of the chosen carcinomas. Their statistical associations and correlations with clinical-pathological characteristics were verified by the Mann-Whitney and Spearman’s test. Twist expression was low in both carcinomas, with