The role of p53 mutant protein as a predictor of oral cavity malignancy: Narrative review

Background: The incidence of oral malignancy has a high prevalence in the world. The incidence of oral malignancies, commonly called OSCC because 90% of cancers are found in squamous cells when viewed histologically, exacerbated by the encouragement of risk factors, such as consuming alcohol, smoking, and other factors. Several recent studies have found that p53 mutant can be used as a predictor of oral malignancy.

Objective: To describe the function of mutant p53 as an indicator for the potential development of oral cancer.

Methods: This paper uses a literature review method. The literature sources used to collect references were Pubmed and Science Direct using the keywords “p53 mutant and oral malignancy.”

Discussion: Based on the references that have been found, p53 mutant is found in several oral malignancies, such as HNSCC, OSCC, LSCC. The presence of p53 mutant can be detected using immunohistochemistry and PCR-SSCP. P53 mutant is also associated with other components in cancer progression. For example, p53 mutant contributes to the regulation of mi-R 182 in cancer. P53 mutant can be used as an assessment of cancer therapy. In cancer therapy using cisplatin, the high expression of p53 mutant makes it resistant to this therapy.

Conclusion: P53 mutant can be used as a predictor of oral malignancy. The function of p53 which should minimize the occurrence of cancer does not function in p53 mutant. Mutant p53 exerts a dominant-negative impact and acquires oncogenic properties that contribute to cancer progression.