Molecular Targeting of Her-2/neu Protein Is Not Recommended as an Adjuvant Therapy in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma and Oral Lichen Planus

Abstract

Purpose: Target therapy against molecular markers of EGFR family has been recently used in the treatment protocol of several diseases. However, the role of Her-2/neu in OSCC is a matter of controversy and more studies are required to clarify the role of Her-2/neu in OSCC. We aimed to investigate the role of Her-2/neu in the process of carcinogenesis in oral epithelium as ELP is a premalignant and OSCC is a malignant lesion, but RLP shows no evidence of premalignancy and malignancy. To our Knowledge, this is the first study comparing Her-2/neu expression in erosive lichen planus (ELP), reticular lichen planus (RLP), and oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Methods: 60 samples, including 20 cases of RLP, 20 cases of ELP, and 20 cases of OSCC were evaluated immunohistochemically in this study. Results: Our findings showed that there was not a significant increase in Her-2/neu expression from RLP to ELP and from ELP to OSCC. Therefore, Her-2/neu had no role in differentiating between RLP, ELP and OSCC and this protein does not contribute to the process of carcinogenesis in the oral epithelium. Conclusion: The lack of Her-2/neu overexpression indicates that molecular targeting of Her-2/neu protein is not recommended as an adjuvant therapy in OSCC and OLP.