Establishing Fascin over-expression as a strategic regulator of neoplastic aggression and lymph node metastasis in oral squamous cell carcinoma tumor microenvironment.

Introduction: Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) has an aggressive behaviour with high incidence of nodal metastasis, even in the early stages, leading to poor prognosis. For progression and metastasis of cancers, the dominant element considered is cell motility. Fascin, an actin-binding protein has emerged as a protein of general importance for a diverse set of cell protrusions with functions in cell adhesion, cell interactions, and cell migration.