Basement markers in Normal Oral mucosa & Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

The basement membrane (BM) is a thin sheet of fibers that underlies the epithelium which lines the mucosal cavities and surfaces of organs including skin, endothelium. The basement membrane is the fusion of two lamina, the basal lamina and the reticular lamina (or lamina reticularis). The primary function of the basement membrane is to anchor down the epithelium to its loose connective tissue underneath. The basement membrane acts as a mechanical barrier and is the first obstacle neoplastic cells should cross, thus preventing malignant cells from invading the deeper tissues. The basement membrane is also essential for angiogenesis. In general the basal membrane is lost in many invasive carcinomas. The ability of malignant neoplasms to destroy the basal membrane has been correlated with its invasive potential. Cellular characteristics of invasive front of the head and neck squamous cell carcinoma are more important for its invasiveness and metastatic capacity and thus include more prognostic information. This is an attempt to review the normal structure, component of basement membrane and its markers in squamous cell carcinoma.