# Association of ALDH3A1 expression with tumor differentiation, pathological stage, and nodal status in oral squamous cell carcinoma

## TL;DR

This study found that lower ALDH3A1 levels in oral cancer are linked to worse tumor features, suggesting it could help predict patient outcomes.

## Contribution

The study identifies ALDH3A1 as a potential biomarker for predicting tumor differentiation and stage in oral squamous cell carcinoma.

## Key findings

- ALDH3A1 expression is significantly higher in well-differentiated oral cancer compared to poorly differentiated tumors.
- Lower ALDH3A1 levels correlate with advanced tumor stages and nodal involvement in oral squamous cell carcinoma.
- Higher ALDH3A1 levels are associated with earlier pathological stages (pT1, pT2) of oral cancer.

## Abstract

To observe the association between Aldehyde dehydrogenase 3 family member A1 (ALDH3A1) levels with histological grade, pathological stage and nodal status in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma (OSCC).

A total of 114 diagnosed OSCC patients who underwent Excisional biopsy with complete neck dissection were recruited in the study in accordance with inclusion criteria. H & E slides were assessed for evaluation of clinicopathological features. Immunohistochemical (IHC) staining method was used to study the expression of ALDH3A1. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 21.0. The chi-square test and Fisher exact test were applied to evaluate the association of ALDH3A1 expression with histological grade, nodal metastasis and pathological tumor stage (pT). All tests were two-sided and a p-value of <0.05 was considered significant.

This study looked at 114 OSCC patients, most of them were men (76.3 %) with a mean age of 47. The common tumor sites were buccal mucosa (53.5 %) and left side predominance of face (52.6 %). The grades were well (30.7 %), moderate (38.6 %), and 3 poorly differentiated (30.7 %). The expression of ALDH3A1 is significantly strong in the well differentiated compared to the poorly differentiated OSCC (p < 0.001), and presence of nodes involvement compared to no node’s involvement (p < 0.001). The findings also suggest that ALDH3A1 expression decreases in more advanced tumors (pT4 stage, p = 0.012), with higher ALDH3A1 levels being associated with earlier stages (pT1, pT2) of OSCC.

The decrease in expression of ALDH3A1 in a poorly differentiated and advanced stage OSCC compared to its well differentiated and early stage highlights the potential role of this biomarker as an important prognostic tool.