Imunoexpressão das proteínas EGFR e VEGF em lipomas de cavidade oral

Abstract

Lipomas are the most common benign mesenchymal neoplasms. They have a predilection for the trunk, shoulders, neck and armpit, being rare in the hands, lower legs and feet. The head and neck region accounts for 20% of cases. The oral cavity is responsible for 1-4% of all tumors, affecting females and males in a similar way, affecting a wide age range. The etiopathogenesis of this tumor remains unknown, therefore, this research aimed to detect, quantify and compare the immunohistochemical expression of EGFR, VEGF and microvascular count (MVC) of oral lipomas, relating them to the clinical and morphological characteristics of the cases studied . The sample consisted of 54 oral lipomas (33 classic and 21 non-classical) and 23 cases of normal adipose tissue. The analysis of the immunohistochemical expression of EGFR and VEGF was based on cytoplasmic membrane and/or nucleus labeling. The angiogenic index was assessed using microvascular count (MVC). Cell counting was performed using IMAGE J® software. The data obtained were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Science software. A significance level of 5% was adopted for statistical tests (p ≤ 0.05). Analysis of protein immunoexpression revealed a statistically significant difference (p=0.041) for EGFR between classic lipoma and normal adipose tissue. Regarding microvessel count, the CMV of non-classic lipomas showed a statistically significant difference (p=0.018) in relation to normal adipose tissue. In non-classical lipomas, only VEGF immunoexpression was directly proportional to the CMV found in the neoplasm, with a moderate, positive and significant correlation (p=0.010). Furthermore, in classical lipomas it was noticed that adipocytes immunolabeled for EGFR were directly proportional to VEGF immunoexpression, this is due to the moderate, positive and statistically significant correlation (p = 0.005). Based on the results, it can be concluded that although EGFR, VEGFR and CMV participate in neoplastic development, it is possible to suggest that in lipomas, these proteins and CMV are not primarily involved in tumor growth.