Infiltration of tumor-associated macrophages in human oral squamous cell carcinoma.

Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) have been shown to display both positive and negative effects on tumor growth of various cancer. In this study, TAMs were immunohistochemically labeled using CD68 antibody in 82 oral cancer. Macrophage index (MI) were analyzed in association with clinical and pathological factors, intratumoral microvessel density (IMVD) and angiogenic factors including VEGF and TP. Significantly higher number of CD68-positive cells was noted in oral cancer. TAM expressions were significantly associated with stages of invasion, IMVD, and angiogenic factors. These findings suggest that TAMs possibly play a role in angiogenesis during oral cancer progression.