Relevance of HLA-G, HLA-E and IL-10 expression in lip carcinogenesis

HLA-G, HLA-E and IL-10 are molecules which can provide tumor immunosuppression as well as the capacity of evasion to the immune system host. This study set out to evaluate HLA-G, HLA-E and IL-10 expression in lip squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) and in a potentially malignant disorder (actinic cheilitis – AC), correlating the expression of these proteins with the degree of epithelial dysplasia. Immunohistochemistry was undertaken to identify HLA-G, HLA-E and IL-10 in samples from patients with LSCC (n = 20), AC (n = 30) and healthy lip mucosa (control) (n = 10). A semiquantitative scoring system was used for analysis. Differences between the groups were evaluated using the Pearson Chi-Squared test. The percentage of LSCC samples showing high immunoreactivity (IRS > 2) for HLA-G, HLA-E and IL-10 (neoplastic/epithelial cells) and HLA-E (stroma/connective tissue) was significantly higher that of the control (P < 0.05). A tendency for a progressive increase in the proteins analyzed was observed from the control to AC and to LSCC. The degree of dysplasia in the AC samples was not significantly associated with the proteins evaluated (P > 0.05). The high expression of HLA-G, HLA-E and IL-10 in AC and LSCC reflects the capacity that these pathologies have for evasion and progression.