Expression of BCL10 is significantly associated with the progression and prognosis of oral squamous cell carcinomas in Taiwan

This study used an immunohistochemical technique to examine the expression of BCL10 in 93 specimens of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and 21 specimens of normal oral mucosa (NOM). We found a significant correlation between the higher mean BCL10 labeling index (LI) and OSCCs at the tongue, with larger tumor size, with positive lymph node metastasis, with more advanced clinical stages, or with recurrence (all p-values=0.000). Positive lymph node metastasis (p=0.044) and BCL10 LI>50% (p=0.037) were identified as independent unfavorable prognosis factors by multivariate analyses with Cox regression model. The Kaplan-Meier curve showed that OSCC patients with a BCL10 LI>50% had a significantly poorer cumulative survival than those with a BCL10 LI<50% (log-rank test, p<0.00001). We conclude that the BCL10 LI in OSCC samples can predict the progression of OSCCs and the survival of OSCC patients.