The heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein D (hnRNPD) serves as a prognostic marker for oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). We evaluated the diagnostic potential of hnRNPD to differentiate between OSCC and normal mucosa. Immunohistochemistry for hnRNPD and a routinely used diagnostic marker deltaNp63 (p40) was performed in 32 normal mucosae and 46 OSCC specimens. Subsequently, receiver-operating characteristic analysis was performed to evaluate the diagnostic potential of hnRNPD in comparison to that of p40. Immunostaining for p40 and hnRNPD was observed in 39 (84.78%) and 38 (82.60%) cases, respectively, in OSCC specimens. The poorly differentiated squamous cell carcinoma displayed 100% (eight cases) immunoreactivity for hnRNPD as compared to 87.5% (seven cases) for p40. Nuclear staining of p40 and hnRNPD was observed in all OSCC specimens. p40 staining was restricted to basal cells, whereas both basal and para-basal cells displayed hnRNPD staining in OSCC specimens. Areas under the curve for p40 and hnRNPD were 0.86 and 0.87, respectively. p40 and hnRNPD showed equal sensitivities (80.95%). However, hnRNPD displayed marginally higher (88.23%) specificity for tumor cells as compared to that of p40 (85.29%). Conclusion: In addition to being a well-established prognostic marker, hnRNPD can serve as a diagnostic marker for OSCC.
Keywords: diagnostic marker; hnRNPD; oral cancer; p40.