Nuclear localization of beta-catenin involved in precancerous change in oral leukoplakia.

Background: Oral leukoplakia is a precancerous change developed in the oral mucosa, and the mechanism that oral leukoplakia becomes malignant through atypical epithelium is not known. Here we compared the beta-catenin expression detected by immunohistochemical staining in the normal oral epithelium and in the oral leukoplakia with or without dysplasia.

Results: The normal oral epithelium showed beta-catenin expression only in the cell membrane, but not in the nuclei.