Anti-p53 and anti-heat shock proteins antibodies in patients with malignant or pre-malignant lesions of the oral cavity.

Abstract

The presence of anti-p53 antibodies in both SCC-bearing patients and in patients with pre-malignant lesions support the notion that p53 gene mutation is an early event in oral tumorigenesis and suggest that this assay could be useful for diagnostic screening of pre-neoplastic lesions at high risk of recurrence and/or transition towards overt malignancy.