Background and Objective: Head and neck cancers are the most common forms of cancer in the world and account for 2.4% of all cancer deaths. Since early detection of cancer is a key factor in improving prognosis and increasing patient survival, and given the different results of the role of interleukins in the pathogenesis of oral lichen planus and squamous cell carcinoma, this study was conducted to compare serum levels of interleukin-28 in patients with squamous cell carcinoma and lichen planus with healthy individuals.
Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 50 individuals with OSCC and OLP referred to Khalili and Mother and Child Hospitals and School of Dentistry, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, compared with 30 healthy individuals over a 5-year period. Five milliliters of blood was collected from patients and healthy individuals in test tubes containing EDTA anticoagulant and centrifuged. The collected sera were stored in sterile microtubes at -20°C. Then, the IL-28 concentration in serum was compared between patients and controls using ELISA.
Findings: In this study, 50 patients with oral lichen planus and OSCC with a mean age of 51.20±10.65 years, including 19 males (38%) and 31 females (62%) and 62% were female. The control group consisted of 12 males (40%) and 18 females (60%) with a mean age of 49.93±14.95 years. The mean age of male patients was 45.11±11.29 years and female patients was 54.94±8.41 years (p=0.003). The mean serum IL-28 level in patients in the OLP group was 66.43±30.94 pg/ml, in the OSCC group was 121.18±3.67 pg/ml, and in the healthy group was 86.19±23.53 pg/ml (p<0.0001).
Conclusion: The results of the study showed that the concentration of IL-28 in patients with OLP was significantly lower compared to normal subjects and higher in patients with OSCC than healthy subjects. Since the amount of IL-28 is associated with OLP and OSCC, it can be used as a biological marker for the diagnosis of this type of malignancy.