A poor prognosis of oral squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is partly due to the invasiveness and metastasis of the tumor. One of key elements in tumor invasion and metastasis in the degradation of extracellular matrix is tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs). This study was performed to determine the expression of TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 of oral SCCs with regard to the histologic invasiveness and differentiation in 5 normal oral mucosa and 36 oral SCCs. The histologic invasiveness of oral SCCs were classified into 4 grades. The differentiation of oral SCCs was divided into 3 grades. The StreptAvidin-Biotin immunohistochemical process, using TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 monoclonal antibodies, was performed to determine the expression of TIMP-1 and TIMP-2. The expression of TIMP-1 was positive in 5 of 17 oral SCCs with weak invasiveness and was positive in 8 of 19 oral SCCs with strong invasiveness. The TIMP-1 expression did not increase significantly with respect to the invasiveness of oral SCCs (P>0.05). The expression of TIMP-2 was strongly positive in 5 out of 17 SCCs with weak invasiveness and was strongly positive in 15 of 19 SCCs with strong invasiveness. The TIMP-2 expression increased significantly with respect to the invasiveness of oral SCCs; the stronger the expression, the stronger the invasiveness (P<0.05). The expression of TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 did not increase significantly with respect to the histologic differentiation. We concluded that with respect to the invasiveness, the TIMP-2 expression increases significantly in oral SCCs but the TIMP-1 expression does not; and that with respect to the histologic differentiation, their expressions do not increase significantly. These results suggested that TIMP-2 can be used as a tool to evaluate the invasiveness of oral SCCs.

Ⅰ. INTRODUCTION
 Ⅱ. MATERIALS AND METHODS
  1. 연구 대상
  2. 구강편평세포암종의 침습성 및 조직분화도의 구분
  3. 면역조직화학 염색
  4. 면역조직화학 염색의 평가
  5. 통계 분석
 Ⅲ. RESULTS
  1. 조직학적 침습양상과 분화도의 분류
  2. 편평세포암종에서 TIMP-1 과 TIMP-2 의 발현
  3. 조직학적 침습양상에 따른 TIMP-1 과 TIMP-2 의 발현
  4. 분화도에 따른 TIMP-1 과 TIMP-2 의 발현
 IV. DISCUSSION
 V. REFERENCES

• 조병찬(서울대학교 치의학대학원 구강병리학교실) | Byoung Chan Cho
• 홍삼표(서울대학교 치의학대학원 구강병리학교실) | Sam Pyo Hong
• 홍성두(서울대학교 치의학대학원 구강병리학교실) | Seong Doo Hong correspondence