Role of p53 in Oral Cancer-A Systematic Review

Abstract

Objective: Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a common tumor that develops in the mucosa of the oral cavity. Various factors such as tobacco, betel quid and alcohol are the most common causes of oral cancer. Changes at the genetic level, such as p53 mutations, have also led to cancer cell proliferation and progression. It has also been discovered that early detection and prognosis can improve if p53 is being used as a diagnostic as well as a therapeutic tool for oral cancer. In this study, a review has been done over the recent advancements of p53 as a diagnostic tool for oral cancer detection.

Methodology: This review followed the PRISMA guidelines for systematic reviews and meta-analyses. We retrieved relevant literature from 2014 to 2024 using six search engines: HEC Digital Library, PubMed/Medline, Elsevier, Wiley Online Library, Google Scholar, and Wolter Kluwer. For this review, we selected studies based on the following criteria: abstracts that included p53 and oral cancer; the 50 most cited articles; and articles investigating the role of p53 in the detection and treatment of oral cancer.

Results: In order to carry out this study, thirty studies were searched and assessed which discussed the role of p53 in tumor progression and recent advancements describing the application of these as a diagnostic tool in oral cancer detection and treatment.

Conclusion: This systematic review describes the role p53 plays in the pathophysiology of oral cancer and that it can be used as a diagnostic parameter as well as a treatment for oral cancer. This research may have missed some studies written in language other than English.

Keywords: Apoptosis, DNA repair proteins, Mutation, Oral Cancer, p53.