Investigation of cancer-associated fibroblasts and p62 expression in oral cancer before and after chemotherapy

Abstract Purpose The aim of this study is to investigate the expression of the autophagy protein p62 in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) cells before and after chemotherapy. We also detected cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) in these OSCC samples to explore the roles of p62 and CAFs in chemotherapy. Materials and methods Immunohistochemistry was used to analyze the expression of p62 and α-SMA in 26 paired OSCC samples before and after chemotherapy. The relationships between clinicopathological features, clinical outcome and the expression of these proteins were analyzed. Results Our results indicated an increased stromal α-SMA expression after chemotherapy in OSCC samples. High p62 expression of OSCC cells closely correlated with stromal α-SMA expression after chemotherapy. Furthermore, the post-chemotherapy p62 expression was associated with the prognosis for OSCC patients. Conclusion These results suggest that chemotherapy may increase CAFs in OSCC. High cytoplasmic p62 expression may serve as a poor prognostic marker for OSCC patients.