Abstract:

Objective　To determine the level of hyaluronic acid (HA) in serum of patients with oral and maxillofacial malig- nancy and to investigate the correlation between the levels of serumHA and stage of the malignant lesions and treatment response. Methods　44 patientswith oral and maxillofacial malignancywere analyzed and 24 healthy individuals served as controls. Venous blood was collected fromthe patients before treatment and the healthy individuals. One week aftertherapy, venous bloodwere col- lected in 24 patients once again. Serum levels ofHAwere measured with quantitative radioimmunoassay (RIA).Results　Before treatment, the serumHA concentration in patients with oral and maxillofacial malignancy was significantly higher than that of the controls(P<0.05). Also, the serumHA concentration in patientswith OSCCwas significantly higher than that of the controls(P <0.05). No difference was noted in serum HA concentration between patients with salivary ACC and the control group (P> 0·05). The serumHA concentration of patients in stageⅢandⅣwas significantly higherthan that of patients in stageⅠandⅡ (P<0·05). SerumHAlevels decreased in patients after a complete treatment, butthe differencewas not significant(P>0·05). Conclusion　Serum levels of HAmay be useful in diagnosis of OSCC and was associated with clinical stages in patients with oral and maxillofacial malignancy. However, it may not be contributory to monitoring treatment response in patientswith oral and max- illofacial malignancy.

Key words: oral and maxillofacial malignancy, hyaluronic acid, radioimmunoassay