serum level of galectin-3 in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma

introduction : galectin-3, a member of the family of β-galactoside-binding animal lectins, has been implicated in tumor invasion and metastasis. materials and methods : using an elisakit, we assessed the circulating levels of galectin-3 in sera from 40 oral squamous cell carcinoma (oscc) patients and from 43 healthy controls. results : serum galectin-3 levels in oscc patients were significantly higher (5.1±2.5 ng/ml) when compared with healthy controls (2.6±3.07 ng/ml, p<0.0005). there was no apparent correlation between serum galectin-3 concentration and clinico-pathological features such as stage, tumor size, nodal status, distant metastasis and histological grade. conclusion : this result suggests that, in addition to other tests, measurement of serum galectin-3 concentrations can be utilized as an adjuvant test for establishing a diagnosis of oscc.