CTLA4 Methylation and its Expression as a Prognostic Biomarker in Tobacco Users with and without Oral Squamous Cell CarcinomaA Protocol for Cross-sectional Study

Introduction: Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma (OSCC) is characterised by immunosuppression mediated by evasion of ‘immune checkpoints’ by tumour cells. Cytotoxic T Lymphocyte Associated Protein 4 (CTLA4) is one of the immune checkpoint molecule whose role in oral carcinogenesis remains to be elucidated. Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) methylation of CTLA4 promoter region holds potential as a biomarker for diagnosis and assessment of individuals at risk of developing OSCC.

Need for the study: Immunotherapy is an emerging treatment modality in some cancers. Thus, better understanding of role of CTLA4 methylation in OSCC paves a way for newer strategies in immunotherapeutic.

Aim: To assess the DNA methylation pattern of promoter region of CTLA4 gene and evaluate its expression in tobacco users with and without OSCC so that it can contribute as biomarker for diagnosis and prognosis of OSCC.

Materials and Methods: The proposed longitudinal cross-sectional study will be conducted at Sharad Pawar Dental College and Hospital, Maharashtra, India. It will evaluate promoter methylation and protein expression of CTLA4 gene in Smokeless Tobacco (SLT) users. There will be three groups: group A OSCC patients; group B normal individuals with SLT habit without any oral lesion; and group C normal individuals without SLT habit. Formalin Fixed Paraffin Embedded (FFPE) tissue blocks will be prepared from the biopsy obtained from total thirty nine participants. DNA methylation of CTLA4 promoter will be assessed using Methylation-Specific PCR (MS-PCR). In addition, the quantitative expression of CTLA4 will also be assessed using Immunohistochemistry (IHC).