Abstract

In most tumours including Oral squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), acquisition of genetic instability is an essential step
during carcinogenesis that involves generalized increased rate of errors during DNA replication, and defective repair of
DNA. The genomic change results in numerical and structural chromosomal alterations, particularly in chromosomes 3,
9, 11 and 17. Chromosome 17 abnormality was chosen in my study because it shown strong correlation with neoplastic
development and progression. In my study, twenty Oral SCC archival blocks were selected retrospectively from two
referred Malaysian oral cancer centres. Histopathological findings were prior diagnosed by experienced Oral
Pathologist, then Fluorescent in-situ Hybridization (FISH) technique was conducted subsequently by using specific
probe of chromosome 17 in these oral SCC cases. In this study, the numerical aberration of chromosome 17 by FISH
method in oral SCC in apparently normal tissues was evaluated. In this study, normal control cases showed 67.8±11%
cells of disomic signals in their nuclei, whereas the numerical aberration of chromosome 17 is frequent demonstrated in
oral SCC (17/20, 85%) cases. In hence, FISH can be used as a possible prognostic marker for the degree of genomic
instability and aneuploidy in excised specimens of oral SCC containing invasive cancer in Malaysia.

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