LAUSR

BACKGROUND/AIM This study analyzed moesin immunoexpression in 91 lip squamous cell carcinomas and its influence in patients' prognosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS Moesin immunoexpression was evaluated at the invasive tumor front by a semi-quantitative score method. The association of moesin with the clinicopathological variables was analyzed by the Chi-square test, the survival rates were calculated by Kaplan-Meier and the survival curves compared using the log-rank test. RESULTS The expression of moesin was strong at the invasive tumor front and weak/negative in differentiated cells such as keratin pearls. There was no association between moesin expression and the clinicopathological variables, but there was a tendency for patients with lip cancer and strong moesin expression to have lower 5- and 10-year overall and disease-free survival rates. CONCLUSION Our results confirm the participation of moesin in oral carcinogenesis and suggest that this protein can influence the survival rates of patients with lip squamous cell carcinoma.