Ki-67 Expression as a Prognostic Marker: A Comparative Immunohistochemical Analysis of Oral Epithelial Dysplasia and Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Introduction Oral dysplasia is a frequent precancerous condition that may lead to oral cancer. The histopathologic abnormalities exhibited in a chronic, progressive, and premalignant condition of the oral mucosa are referred to as oral epithelial dysplasia (OED). It might show up as erythroplakia, leukoplakia, or leukoerythroplakia. OED is a premalignancy histologic marker that predicts a higher likelihood of squamous cell carcinoma development. Aims and objectives The aim of this study is to identify an association between Ki-67 protein expression and histological grading of OED and oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and to compare the expression of Ki-67 in different grades of OED and OSCC with the prognosis. Materials and methods The current retrospective research is focused on evaluating epithelial dysplasia and analyzing the function of Ki-67 as a prognostic marker after receiving institutional ethical approval. Group I - normal oral mucosa (NOM), Group II - OED, and Group III - OSCC were included in the study. For statistical analysis, SPSS Statistics version 21.0 (IBM Corp. Released 2021. IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 28.0. Armonk, NY: IBM Corp) was utilized. The Cox regression model was employed to look at interactions between various prognostic variables. At p<0.05, differences were deemed statistically significant. Results Ki-67 expression was confined to the basal layers in the normal oral epithelium and in the basal, suprabasal, and spinous layers in OED. Ki-67 positive cells were mostly found on the perimeter of well, moderate, and poorly differentiated OSCC tumor nests with Ki-67 positive cells scattered throughout OSCC. According to statistical analysis, there is a substantial difference in expression between OED and NOM, OSCC and NOM, and OED and OSCC. Conclusion Our study showed that there is a progressive increase in Ki-67 expression across various grades of OED, and the highest expression was noted in OSCC. Early identification and prompt treatment will help in improving the quality of life of such patients.