Expression of EMMPRIN modulates mediators of tumor invasion in oral squamous cell carcinoma.

Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) accounts for 96 percent of all intraoral malignancies. The five-year survival rate is 50 percent and has not improved in 60 years. During SCC progression, subsets of SCC cells undergo an epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) to become highly invasive. The extracellular matrix metalloproteinase inducer (EMMPRIN) contributes to EMT by activating local matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). In this study, we found that EMMPRIN modulates the invasive phenotype and may be a potential therapeutic target.