IHC Expression of MDM2 in Ameloblastomas & AOT

Odontogenic tumors has been studied extensively for several decades. The term ¿Tumor¿ here constitute a group of heterogeneous lesions ranging from hamartomatous tissue proliferations to malignant neoplasms. Ameloblastoma, a benign but locally invasive neoplasm derived form odontogenic epithelium is most frequently encountered with high tendency to recur. It is unique tumor in oral and maxillo-facial region exhibiting wide range of different histological patterns with various proliferative activities in each type. AOT, which is relatively rare tumor on the contrary, shows benign non-aggressive nature with limited growth potential and no tendency to recur. This has triggered long-term debate as to whether AOT is anomalous developmental hamartomatous growth or true benign neoplasm. It is postulated that MDM2 plays central role in various cancer development and progression, because of its prevalent expression and interactions not only with p53 but also with other signaling molecules. Hence, this study using MDM2 was undertaken to offer new clues & to understand better diverse biological activity between these two groups of odontogenic tumors based on their cell proliferation activity.